Coleman joins other AGs, urges IG to strengthen privacy protections (Press Release)

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 15, 2025) – Attorney General Russell Coleman is calling on Instagram to strengthen location privacy protections, especially as it relates to vulnerable users including children and survivors of domestic violence.

In a letter to Instagram Head Adam Mosseri, a bipartisan coalition of 37 attorneys general outlined public safety and data privacy concerns. The platform’s newly implemented location-sharing allows users’ precise locations to be displayed on a map. The group notes such tools can be exploited by predators, stalkers and other bad actors. In the letter, they urge Instagram to make immediate changes to protect their users.

“This is about our kids. Without proper controls on this new feature, sexual predators are easily able to identify and geographically target our kids. As parents and public officials, we’re calling for immediate action to protect our children and vulnerable groups online,” said Attorney General Coleman.

The letter calls on Instagram to:

1. Ensure that minors cannot enable location-sharing features.
2. Send a clear alert to all adult users explaining the feature, outlining its risks and providing full disclosure of how Instagram will use their location data.
3. For adults who choose to opt in, provide a simple, easy-to-access control to disable location sharing at any time.

Attorney General Coleman joined the Georgia and New Mexico-led letter along with Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Nevada, North Caroline, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

The full letter is available here.