Anticipating Privacy, Safety and Adoption Risks of a Map in Instagram Stories

Instagram has added a map feature to Stories. You are the product manager, and the interviewer wants to know what challenges this feature could run into. Lay out the challenges you expect, rank them by how much they matter, and explain how you would spot the most important ones early and what you would do about each. The interviewer does not describe exactly how the map works, so ask about the details that change your answer and state your assumptions. ```hint Start from what a map changes Stories can already carry a location label. Ask what becomes possible once those locations sit on a map people can browse over time, and sort the challenges by who bears them: the person posting, the people and places shown, viewers, and Instagram itself. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does the map place only stories the poster chose to tag with a location, or does it show where the poster is, or last was, in real time? - Who can see a story on the map: the poster's existing story audience, a close-friends list, or anyone browsing a public place? - Is appearing on the map opt-in, and is the feature available to teen accounts? - Is this a worldwide launch or a test in a few markets? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A clear picture of what the map exposes beyond an ordinary story with a location, and explicit assumptions about defaults and audience - Privacy and physical-safety challenges for posters, teens and people who appear in stories without choosing to, ranked by severity and reversibility rather than frequency - Product challenges such as sparse or stale maps, confusing controls, and whether the map adds story activity or only shifts it - Abuse, moderation, regulatory and infrastructure challenges that are specific to location data - Leading indicators, guardrail metrics and mitigations for the top challenges, plus a launch plan that limits exposure ### Follow-up Questions - If you could ship only one safeguard before launch, which would it be and why? - Early data shows strong map usage but a rise in people turning off location access for Instagram altogether. What do you do? - How would your list change if public stories at public places were visible to everyone, not only to the poster's followers?