Instagram has rolled out a new feature called Friend Map exclusively for users in India in a limited rollout. The feature was made to allow users to see, in real-time, the location of their friends. Similar to Snapchat’s Snap Map, the Friend Map feature allows users to share their hangout spots or explore spots with friends together.

What is Friend Map?

Friend Map was designed to allow people to meet in-person and contact each other easier, and according to Meta, the tool allows for spontaneous meet-ups to be less complicated for users. The live locations will be viewable to the map users friends – but only if the user has enabled it. Although this feature can assist social interactions, it may bring up privacy concerns.

Key Features of Friend Map

– Real-Time Location Sharing: When you and your friends have location sharing enabled, you will be able to see where they are in real-time.
– Activity-Based Location Logging: Whenever users open the Instagram app or tag locations in their posts or stories, Instagram will record where they were – in the Friend Map, the users’ activity is automatically logged,
– Location History: The map will create a timeline and show each user’s past locations.
– Meta Ecosystem Integration: The map feature will be integrated into the Meta ecosystem (Facebook, Messenger) – this way, your data will be synced.

How to Use the Friend Map

– Open the Instagram app and click on Messages
– Inside Messages, find the section that shows the Map.
– Select Turn On and select which friends can view your location.
– You can pause or stop the sharing of your location whenever you wish.

Who Can Use This?

The feature is slowly being rolled out in a number of different countries, including India. And, because it is in opt-in format, no one can see your location unless you give them permission.

The Benefit of Using Friend Map

• It allows friends to more quickly and easily plan meetups.
• It allows you to find hangout spots nearby with your friends.
• It makes Instagram, and the connection with your friends, more interactive and real-world.
• It adds another layer of social interaction over and above posts and stories.

Major Privacy and Safety Issues

Experts are warning that Friend Map could put users at risk if not used with care.

• Stalking threats: total strangers would be able to track your movements through checking-in.
• Revealing personal patterns: if you check-in often, people will be able to figure out your life patterns and where you are likely to be traveling.
• Data usage: you will be the data and meta could use that data for targeted advertising or analysis.
• No encryption: this is not end-to-end encryption, that means no encryption on your location data. This could cause risk if hacking takes place or data is misused by internal systems.

Meta’s Bigger Target

Meta’s vision is for Instagram to evolve from a photo-sharing app to become an experience that enriches reality. That means users can transform how they interact in the real world digitally, giving Meta improved targeting platforms for advertising and marketing. But these features also raise questions about privacy, data safety, and when to rely on these types of apps safely.

Also Read: Hack iPhone? Apple Will Pay Up To ₹17.5 Crore

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