How To Protect Your Privacy And Stay Secure On Instagram – Instagram is a beautiful way to share pictures with friends, family, and the rest of the world, but it can also put your personal information at risk. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s easy to protect yourself while still getting the most out of Instagram.
Here are five things you can do to keep your account safe. There are guides for both web and smartphone applications and notations indicating where the iOS and Android apps vary.
Make your account private
Converting your public account to a private one is an easy way to increase your privacy. This allows you to share pictures with a small group of people while keeping them secret from the rest of the world. And the people you care for will be aware of your actions in this manner.
On mobile
- Tap the “person” icon in the lower-right corner of the screen to access your profile. Swipe to the left and tap the gear icon that appears in the Settings section.
- Select “Privacy and Security” then “Account Privacy.”
- Toggle “Private Account” on.
On the web
- Look for the gear icon next to your name after clicking the “guy” icon in the upper-right corner.
- Select “Privacy and Security” then “Account Privacy.”
- Click on the checkbox for Private Account.
Only your current followers will be able to see your updates from now on. Anyone who wants to follow you must first give you a follow request.
Block specific followers
You may also prevent individual followers from seeing your posts if one of your followers becomes irritating (or worse). (Don’t worry, your followers won’t know you’ve blocked them.)
On mobile
- Tap “Followers” at the top of the leading mobile menu.
- Search for the follower you want to block.
- Tap the three horizontal dots next to their name if you’re using iOS. Tap the three vertical dots if you’re using Android. Choose “Remove.”
On the web
- Click on the person icon and then on “Followers.”
- Search for the follower you want to block.
- Look for the three horizontal dots to the right of the person’s name after clicking on their icon. Choose “Block this consumer.”
Turn on two-factor authentication.
Are you concerned that anyone would use your Instagram account to impersonate you? Switch on two-factor authentication, which will give you an authentication code via text message any time you log in to Instagram on a new device. To finish logging in, you’ll need to type in the code.
On mobile
- Go to “Settings” > “Privacy and Security” > “Two-Factor Authentication” > “Get Started.”
- Toggle on “Text Message.”
- Toggle on “Authentication App” instead if you’d rather use an authentication app like Google Authenticator. The app will check to see if you already have one. It will recommend one if you don’t.
On the web
- Go to the person icon, then click on the gear icon.
- Click on “Privacy and Security”> “Edit Two-Factor Authentication Setting.”
- Check the box next to “Text Message.” You’ll be able to search “Use Authentication App” if you have an authentication app installed. It would be grayed out otherwise.
Prevent third-party apps from getting your data
There is a slew of third-party apps that will ask for access to your Instagram info, such as one that will schedule your Instagram posts for you. So, before you agree to give anyone access to your data, keep in mind that the more organizations that have private information about you, the more likely the information will be misused or stolen. And more importantly, only give Instagram access to apps that have a genuine need for it.
Read also: Beginner’s Guide To Instagram | Eleven (11) Tips
You must use the web interface to revoke access to applications that already have it; you cannot do so via the mobile app.
- On a phone or tablet, go to Instagram and click or tap the individual icon in the page’s upper-right corner.
- Click or tap on the gear icon.
- Select “Authorized Apps” from the drop-down menu. (It’ll be in the left-hand menu.) A list of apps that have been granted access to Instagram will appear.
- Select “Yes” after clicking the “Revoke Access” button for any app you want to revoke access for.
Check if someone has hacked your account.
Are you concerned that your Instagram account has been hacked? You can search by looking at your previous account behavior, including logins, logouts, password changes, and more.
- Go to “Settings”> “Privacy and Security”> “Access Data” in the mobile app. Tap the “person” icon in the upper-right corner of the screen on the web. Select “Privacy and Security”> “View Account Data” from the gear icon.
- You’ll be taken to a page with a lot of information on how your account has been used. You can get more details by clicking any tab, such as “Account privacy updates,” “Logins,” “Logouts,” “Hashtags you follow,” and so on.
- Particular attention should be paid to “Account privacy adjustments,” “Password changes,” “Logins,” “Logouts,” and “Stories Operation.” If you see something unusual, it’s possible that someone else is using your account. Adjust your password right away to keep them out.