Meta Platforms on 6 August rolled out a major Instagram update that lets users repost public feed posts and Reels and introduces “Instagram Map,” an opt-in tool that displays the last location where friends used the app. A new Friends tab in Reels surfaces videos that a user’s contacts have liked or shared. Reposts appear in followers’ feeds and in a dedicated profile tab and credit the original creator, potentially widening distribution for content makers. The map feature, similar to Snapchat’s Snap Map, is off by default. Users who opt in can restrict visibility to mutual followers, close-friends lists or selected contacts. Meta says locations refresh only when the app is opened or running in the background, and that tags attached to Stories or Reels remain visible on the map for 24 hours. The product includes parental controls that alert guardians if a teenager activates location sharing. The release triggered an immediate backlash from some users and lawmakers who warned that real-time geolocation could endanger minors or enable stalking. House Democrats Lori Trahan and Kathy Castor, who had urged Instagram to abandon the idea last year, renewed their concerns. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri responded on Threads that “location will only be shared if you decide to share it” and pledged to verify that no data is exposed without consent. Meta reiterated that the feature requires explicit, double opt-in approval and said it is monitoring feedback.