What Instacart orders and shared carts can reveal

An order creates more than a shopping list

Instacart's January 2026 policy describes order items, date and time, delivery address, special instructions and shopper communications. It also describes device information, usage events, approximate IP-based location and precise location when permitted. Turning off phone location does not remove the address and purchase information supplied for an order. Instacart: order, device, location and retention policy

The policy describes order-related disclosures to shoppers, retailers and other providers, with advertising and analytics uses also covered. It gives retention criteria based on purpose and legal requirements, rather than one deadline for all order data. A delivery record and a phone permission are different records and controls. Instacart: order, device, location and retention policy

Retailer sharing has its own preference

Instacart's sharing help says an optional retailer-sharing choice can include name, phone, email, delivery address and order details. Retailers may use that information for marketing, discounts or stock planning, and their own privacy policies govern it. Retailer loyalty-status information can also flow back to Instacart. Instacart: retailer-sharing preferences

Family carts and personal carts have different audiences

The Family Carts help distinguishes a shared cart from a personal cart. Family members can see items added to the family cart, but cannot see one another's personal-cart items through that feature. It documents switching between those cart types and warns that deactivating the family account can lose an unfinished family cart. Instacart: personal and family carts

Separate post-order collaboration can let family members add or remove items, update quantities and replacements, and chat with the shopper. The order placer controls this option for all family members together. Changes are visible to the order placer and shopper, and added items can create additional charges. Instacart: post-order family collaboration

A saved list can be searchable or shared

Instacart's list help says public saved lists are searchable, while private saved lists are not searchable or discoverable. Both can be shared. Family shopping lists can show who added an item through initials. A private-list label therefore needs to be read alongside its sharing choices and the type of list. Instacart: public, private and family shopping lists

Notification and account controls solve different problems

The notification help distinguishes marketing from order updates. It says order confirmation emails still arrive after marketing-email unsubscribe. It also warns that disabling all order-update notifications prevents alerts about replacements, refunds and other order status. A marketing choice is not deletion of the order. Instacart: marketing and order notification settings

The account-deletion help treats permanent deletion, deactivation, membership cancellation and promotional email settings separately. It says a deleted account cannot be reused, while reactivating a deactivated account requires Customer Experience. Read the intended action before using a control with a similar name. Instacart: permanent deletion and account deactivation