Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) on Friday urged Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to end its new map feature on Instagram.
In a letter, first obtained by NBC News, the bipartisan lawmakers argued that the new tool, which shares Instagram users' last active location with followers, could endanger children.
"For years, we have sounded the alarm regarding real time location sharing on social media platforms — specifically when it comes to underage users — and we again urge you to protect children’s safety instead of potentially exposing their location to dangerous individuals online, including pedophiles and traffickers," the senators wrote.
The Hill has reached out to Meta for comment.
Users must opt in to use the tool and can opt out at any time, according to an Aug. 6 release from Meta. They can also select which followers can see their locations.
Parents that have supervision over their child's account can also control the location settings and will receive a notification if the child changes it.
But the congressional duo on Friday cited examples of some consumers reporting that their location was shared without consent.
“This addition is a cause of particular concern for us when it comes to children and teens that are active on Instagram," the senators added.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri on Thursday said that the company is working to issue design improvements "as quickly as possible."
Both Blackburn and Blumenthal have long expressed concerns over child safety on Meta social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
In April, the senators wrote a letter to the company warning that “the company is failing to protect underage users from sexually explicit discussions with a new class of AI-powered digital chatbots.”
Blackburn and Blumenthal also sponsored the Kids Online Safety Act last year, which passed the Senate last summer. It did not pass the House, and they reintroduced the legislation in May.
“We urge you to immediately abandon Instagram’s map feature and instead institute meaningful protections for children online —they deserve nothing less,” the senators wrote in the Friday letter.
Source: The Hill - News
