Instagram has been the most popular social network for quite some time now. It amassed millions of users over a relatively short period. Being that it’s a social platform that is mostly based on sharing content that can be considered private, it’s only natural to question the safety of this information. So how safe is your content on Instagram? The founders of this incredibly simple yet amazing app paid a lot of attention to securing the privacy of each user.
Instagram is ensuring the safety of your content in more than one way. By setting your Instagram profile security settings to private, you can choose your audience. This way only followers will be able to have access to your content. The “followers” concept allows you to choose to whom your content is going to be available. Furthermore, you can allow or deny a “following” request. This gives your complete control over your audience as well as your private content.
Manually pick
Next to this, there is an option to choose particular individuals that will be able to see your content. Once you manually pick them and list them as users that you want to share your current post with, no one else but them will have access to that content. Furthermore, you can block a particular user on Instagram. By blocking a person on Instagram, you disable their follower’s privileges and deny access to your content.
This is a great option as it provides further protection for Instagram users. As the last step of defense, you can report a user if their activity regarding your posts is disrespectful or insulting in any way. However, you will have to specify a reason for reporting that person. With these Instagram security settings, you alone decide who is going to see your photos and posts.
Can You See Who Is Looking At Your Instagram Profile?
Being concerned for the safety of your content on Instagram is one thing. However trying to find ways to track the activity of another user, to ensure that no one is intruding on your privacy, is an entirely different thing. No one is able to see your content without your approval. There are apps that allegedly allow users to see private content on Instagram, but breaching Instagram security is no easy task.
There were reports that Instagram accounts were hacked in the past, but again, there was no proof behind these speculations either. Instagram founders invested a lot of funds in the development of their security settings. So it is highly unlikely that a simple app can go past their security system and allow access to your content.
To conclude on this topic. No, you can’t see who is looking at your Instagram profile only because no one can have access to your posts unless you allow them to. If you had the option to monitor the activity of certain profiles, it wouldn’t make you any different from them. There is no need to question your safety on Instagram as you alone decide how safe your content is.
With so many options to protect your privacy, it’s highly unlikely that someone will spend hours figuring out a way to breach it. One thing is for sure, if someone does manage to breach their security system and access your content it won’t be via an app. Every system has a backdoor. Major companies actually encourage experts in reverse engineering to attempt to find and exploit their systems. But this is done for the purposes of improving the Instagram security system rather than exploiting it.
Should I Set My Instagram Profile to Private?
Depending on what you want to achieve with your Instagram profile you’ll either set your profile to private, or public. Both of these Instagram security settings have advantages and flaws, but again, it depends on how you intend to use your publicity on Instagram.
When using your Instagram account for business purposes, it’s best to stick to a public approach. When creating a brand, you’ll want as much audience as you can get. By setting your profile to public, you’ll have access to huge numbers of users.
Your goal is to get your brand recognized and create connections. And what better way to do that than by letting everyone see your content. According to a study, that was conducted last year in December, Instagram had more than 600 million active users on a monthly basis.
Sheer numbers of active users attract business companies to use Instagram for advertisement purposes. So why would you act any different? If you have the opportunity to advertise your service, product, or anything else via Instagram why wouldn’t you? Furthermore, what other logical thing is there to do than to change your Instagram security settings into public, if you haven’t done so already.
On the other hand, if you’re using Instagram for social reasons, you might want to go about it with a private profile. Having a private profile with a limited amount of followers allows you to control your audience completely. If you’re not comfortable sharing your content with just about anyone, having a private profile is exactly what you need.
The first obvious reason is that you don’t want your family to see what you’re up to every weekend. So the first thing that you need to do is change the security settings of your profile to private. This way even if you do get a “following” request from a person you don’t want to share content with, you can ignore it or deny it.
Is There a Way to See Private Instagram Profiles?
If you’ve been trying to figure out a way to see a private profile, you might have found a couple of apps that allow you to do so along the way. You probably have your own reasons to do so that will justify your interests in this action which goes against Instagram’s privacy policy. Some apps guarantee you’ll be able to see the content on private or otherwise locked profiles.
The problem is that no one can verify whether they actually work or not. There are many forms of scams online. And an app that allegedly allows you to bypass one of the most successful social network security systems could be one of them.
But let’s look at the concept of these apps. Most of them either require you to download their app or to use their online service. You need to provide your Instagram account as well as the account you’re after. Once you do that, they will supposedly start working on removing the restrictions, whether you’ve been blocked or denied access to that account.
After they’re done processing the data, they will magically grant you access to that profile’s content. Again, there was no official confirms that these apps actually work, so if you intend to use them it’s at your own risk.
Even in a scenario that they do exist, they wouldn’t last for long. Sooner or later they would be discovered and reported. So if you do happen to find one that works, have in mind that it won’t be available online forever. Either this or it’s kept as a secret for so long that no one knows it exists. But if no one knows about it, what’s the use of it?
Instagram for Parents – What You Need to Know
Being a parent in modern-day society isn’t an easy task. With so many ways to acquire information, it’s only natural to be overprotective about your kids. Content that is considered inappropriate for your kids can be found everywhere. Knowing how much time your children spend on a social network, it’s absolutely normal to be concerned about their safety out there.
Can You Access Your Teen’s Profile?
Unfortunately, no one can have access to another profile’s content on Instagram, as we’ve established before. Instagram appreciates your concerns, but it would simply go against their privacy policy if they were to allow you to do so.
The only way you can have access to their profile, and control their activity, is if they were to give you their password. This way can have access to their profile whenever they’re not using it. So the first line of defense against unwanted attention is to talk to your kids and establish a healthy relationship. Parental guidance is the best thing you can do for them.
If this doesn’t work, you can simply forbid them from using Instagram. However, it’s not advised to do so for one reason. This kind of limitation will actually encourage them to do exactly the opposite of what you tell them to do. They can access Instagram from any device that has an internet connection.
Your child can create an account without you knowing it. So again, instead of limiting their freedom, you need to explain the situation and your concerns. Furthermore, make sure that you mention the dangers of using the internet. As long as they’re fully aware of what can go wrong, you’ll be able to let them decide how their actions will affect their life.
General Safety Tips
Private and Public Profiles
When creating an account on Instagram, you’ll be prompted to set your visibility as private or public. This will determine whether your posts are available for everyone or only for your followers. You have the option of denying or accepting a “following” request as well. So before you chose to accept a particular person as your follower, make sure that you see what they’re up to.
Sharing Options
One of the options that you have when posting your content on Instagram is to share your location. The option to “check-in” will show every other user on Instagram your location at that time. If you aren’t comfortable with sharing your location, you can always uncheck this option before you post anything.
Blocking and Reporting
If you have a public profile and notice disrespectful behavior from another person on your posts, you can block or report them. This way Instagram will send them a warning notification, mentioning that someone has reported their actions. It’s advised to do so only in scenarios when this particular account’s actions go against Instagram’s privacy policy.
Furthermore, you’ll have to mention the reason for reporting this person. You can also send a complaint letter to Instagram, describing in detail why you consider someone’s actions disrespectful. Once you’re complaint letter or report has been processed, Instagram will either ban that person for a limited amount of time or delete their account.
Final Words
With technology evolving at a rate we can barely follow, it’s only natural to be concerned about the safety of your data. You’re responsible for the content that you chose to share online, as well as for your actions. Every social network out there is constantly working on improving the quality of its services and finding new ways to adapt to public needs.
There is a number of subsidiary companies that focuses on fixing the security settings each day on these social networks. So before you think that you aren’t safe on any of these social platforms, bear in mind that their developers had the same concerns on your behalf. Knowing the gravity, they’ve surely paid a lot of attention to security settings. So it all comes back to you.
How you manage your accounts, actions and posts will affect your exposure to unwanted attention. Even if you do feel threatened, you can always take legal action if reports via their services don’t work. But these are extreme cases, and it’s not advised to do so before you make sure that there is no other way. Dealing with absolutes is the last line of defense against the breach of privacy.