Instagram users now have the option to share their location with friends and followers. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said the feature puts kids in danger, and wants Meta to shut it down.
The feature was introduced last week. Meta officials have said users have to opt in to it, but some say they never gave permission and ended up on the map anyway.
Blumenthal accused the company of having an “abysmal” track record of protecting kids and said it should be eliminated.
“It exposes kids to pedophiles and traffickers,” Blumenthal said. “Meta launched this map feature just last week without the parental controls and consent features that are necessary to make it even arguably safe.”
He and Senate colleague Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) have written to CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the feature.
“We're going to insist that Meta take down this feature, establish safeguards, and make it their business to protect children, not profit from them,” Blumenthal said.
In this Congressional session, Blumenthal once again sponsored his bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, originally introduced in 2022. The bill would impose a duty of care on social media companies, among other things.
