Amid the rising cases of profiles being hacked and users getting locked out of their accounts, social media giant has rolled out several new features that aim at easing their users’ concerns.
Instagram wants to make platform safer for 2B+ users
As part of its Safer Internet Day initiative, Instagram announced in February two new features aiming at making the social media platform safer for its more than 2 billion active users.
One of the features is the “Security checkup” option, which includes step-by-step instructions on how users can secure their Instagram profiles. The Security checkup feature works like the Google Security Checkup function, according to the Slash Gear report.
Instagram describes Security checkup as a way to keep an account secure, explaining that, “Security Checkup guides people through the steps needed to secure their account including: checking login activity, reviewing profile information, confirming the accounts that share login information and updating account recovery contact information such as a phone number or email address.”
Another new feature is called “Your Activity,” which is a one-stop shop so users can view and manage their activities on the Instagram platform. This option allows users to do bulk actions including deleting and archiving multiple posts, as well as sort and filter their content by date. Users can also use Your Activity to search for past likes, stories, and even comments.
Instagram is also testing a method that will allow users to gain access to an account where they have been accidentally locked out—by asking their friends to confirm the user’s identity. This move will potentially follow Instagram’s recently released option for retrieving deleted posts via “Recently Deleted” feature.
Instagram proxy becoming popular amid growing online privacy concerns
In addition to these new features released by Instagram, many social media users are also taking privacy a step further via an Instagram proxy that allows them to mask their real identity while on a social media platform.
Proxies, whether they’re mobile, residential or even data proxy, are becoming more popular in recent years as more internet users are seeking a safer way of spending time on the world wide web. While people use proxies for different reasons, 34% of all proxy users state the main reason they use a proxy is to maintain privacy, according to ENV Media research paper on internet privacy.
“Proxy server connections have clearly and firmly surpassed the limited image of a privacy protection solution. They offer much more to those who are well-informed and able to use them to their full potential,” ENV Media analysts said.
Protecting one’s online privacy is fast becoming an essential consideration for many consumers today, especially with everyone spending more and more time on the Internet as they go about their day. In these times, no one is really sure who ends up with their information, which is why it’s even more important to have a middleman—in the form of proxies and other online anonymity tools—that will provide a secure gateway to the internet. As the ENV Media research concluded, “The undeniable and continuous awareness growth among online users about the importance of their privacy and protection leads industry experts to project a lasting and sustainable expansion of proxy markets. Users who generate demand for richer entertainment offers and internet freedom, similarly, can fuel the rise in proxy and VPN adoption across the globe.”
