First, let's look at Instagram Map to see who, if anyone, you're sharing your location with right now.

If you choose to share your location with friends, close friends, or select friends, your precise location will update on the Map every time you open Instagram, but it will disappear if you don't open the app again for 24 hours.

How to turn off Instagram Map location sharing:

1. Open Instagram and tap the Messages icon in the top right of your feed.
2. Go to Map at the top of your inbox.
3. If it's your first time using Map, an "Introducing Instagram Map" pop-up will appear. Instagram also asks you to invite friends. Dismiss the prompts.
4. If you've already given Instagram access to your location in the past, Instagram will now ask you to specify who can see your location on Map. Choose No one from the available options.
5. Select "Until I turn back on" if asked how long you'd like to stop sharing.
6. Click Done to save your preferences.

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If you select "No one," it will prevent Instagram Map from using your precise, last-active location, and you will not see yourself on the Map. But notice the top of the Map will now clearly display you're not sharing your location, and you will see a note under your profile photo indicating whether you're sharing your location.

On the Map, you can also tap the Settings icon in the top right to open your device's location-sharing settings for Instagram (normally found under Settings > Privacy and Security > Location Services > Instagram). In this menu, under Allow Location Access, you can change your preference to Never to completely cut off Instagram.

Instagram Maps shows your location-tagged content -- like posts and Stories -- if you've tagged a place.

This happens even if you're not sharing your precise, last-active location. If your account is public, tagged posts appear on the Map for 24 hours. Switching to a private account prevents strangers from seeing your tagged locations, or you can simply skip tagging your posts altogether.

To prevent your location-tagged posts from appearing in Map:

1. When posting a photo, video, or Story, skip the Add location step.
2. If you've already tagged a location, edit the post and remove the tag.

Also: 5 simple ways to regain your data privacy online - starting today

Instagram said in a recent update that it added a preview so you can see how your post will look on Maps if you do choose to tag your location and share it.

Even if you've chosen "No one" for Map location sharing in step one above, great. But Instagram can still access your location in the background if your device permissions allow it. So, to completely block Instagram's access, you'll want to change your device's location settings for the app.

On iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Instagram.
3. Tap Location.
4. Select Never or Ask Next Time.

If you still want Instagram to know your general city, but not your exact spot, you can turn off Precise Location.

On Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps (or Apps & notifications).
3. Select Instagram.
4. Tap Permissions > Location.
5. Choose Deny.

Also: How to protect your privacy from Facebook - and what doesn't work

Disabling Instagram's permission to access your location entirely isn't necessary if you've already turned off Instagram Map location sharing, but it's an extra privacy layer you can add if you're feeling uneasy.

Without location data, Instagram can't use your whereabouts to target you with location-specific ads. It might also affect certain features, such as location tagging and the ability to share your location in a chat on mobile.