Instagram, like its parent company Facebook, has had its fair share of privacy issues.
In late 2018, it was revealed that the Instagram function ‘Download Your Data’ had a security issue that exposed users’ passwords in plain text. It’s ironic, because the function was designed to boost security and safeguard users’ privacy and data in the first place. It was also done to put their users’ minds at ease following the Cambridge Analytica data dump.
Following the announcement of the password breach, Instagram quickly clarified that only a limited number of users were affected and that the problem had been quickly fixed. Instagram, on the other hand, can put your privacy at risk in a variety of ways.
Unless you turn it off manually, Instagram’s default option will monitor your location. This information is used to target advertisements to you based on where you spend the majority of your time. Instagram also shares your in-app behaviour with other users, such as likes, comments, and interactions with stories.
Then there was the early-2018 change to their Direct Messaging feature. Users were irritated not just by the’seen’ notification or the typing bubble, but also by the status activity notification.
Instagram users could now see when their friends were online, as well as when they were last online.
Deactivating your account is only temporary, however it will hide your profile, followers, images, likes, and comments from other people while it is removed. Simply log back into your account to recover all of this information and resume regular use of Instagram.
You can’t undo deleting your Instagram account, and you can’t reinstate a deleted account. When you deactivate your Instagram account, all of your data is permanently wiped, including images, followers, likes, and so on. If you decide to sign up for Instagram again in the future, neither you nor anyone else will be allowed to use the same username.
Instagram cannot be deactivated using the app; it must be done through a web browser on the Instagram website. If you wish to take a vacation from Instagram, follow these steps to deactivate your account:
- Log in to your Instagram account and go to your profile page by clicking on the person symbol.
- Select ‘Edit Profile,’ then ‘Temporarily deactivate my account’ at the bottom of the screen.
- ‘Why are you deactivating your account?’ will appear; choose a reason from the drop-down box.
- Enter your password again and choose ‘Temporarily deactivate account.’
- Your account has been disabled, and other users will be unable to access it until you log in again.
When you deactivate your Instagram account, all of your information is permanently lost and cannot be recovered. As a result, you may wish to save your Instagram data before you cancel your account so that you may keep all of your images, videos, and other media. To get a copy of your Instagram data, go to:
- Select ‘Settings’ from your Instagram profile (gear icon).
- Click the ‘Request Download’ button under the ‘Privacy & Security’ page.
- Enter your password and the email address where you’d like to get a link to your Instagram data.
- You should receive an email titled ‘Your Instagram Data’ within 48 hours with a link to your data. Select ‘Download Data’ from the drop-down menu.
An Instagram account can only be erased using a web browser, just like it can be deactivated. Follow these easy steps to permanently erase your Instagram account:
Go to the Instagram website and log in to your account.
Go to the ‘Delete Your Account’ tab on Instagram. Choose your reason for leaving from the drop-down menu.
Click ‘Permanently delete my account’ after entering your password.
Your Instagram account has been permanently deleted.
