| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Social Media |
| Official website | https://www.instagram.com/ |
Instagram is a global social-media platform and subsidiary of Meta since 2012.[1] Founded in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Instagram focuses on sharing photos and videos. This content can take the form of a "reel", "post", or a "story".
Reels: Short videos similar to the format popularized by TikTok.
Posts: A collection of images or videos.
Stories: A temporary post that allows photos, videos, and text.
Moreover, Instagram has a direct messaging service and a live streaming service built in.
Instagram has been scrutinized for many consumer violations revolving around the extent of its data collection[2] and the use of said data.
Consumer-protection profile
Privacy
- On signup, Instagram collects details such as the user's name, email, phone number, and profile information.[3]
- Through the use of the app, Instagram collects the following:[3]
- Interactions including, likes, comments, posts, and direct messages.
- Location Data.
- Device Information.
- Usage Data.
- Content Data including metadata from photos and videos.
- Information from messages including the people the user interacts with the types of messages the user sends.
- Instagram shares data to 3rd parties including advertisers directly and through Meta.[3]
- Instagram will share data with law enforcement if legally compelled.[3]
- Instagram will analyze messages for the purpose of detecting spam, harassment, or abusive content.
- Instagram uses user data to serve targeted advertisements to the user.
Transparency
- The Instagram privacy policy states how most user data is collected and stored.
- Instagram allows users to download a copy of their Data through their front-ends.
- It is unclear how much information is collected from user to user messages.
Freedom
- Instagram messages are not end-to-end encrypted.
- Instagram, as part of Meta, has a forced arbitration clause in its terms of service.
- Instagram has the ability to remove content without citing a reason.
- Instagram is granted a license to use, distribute, modify, run, copy, display, and create derivative works of uploaded content.[4]
Consumer-protection incidents
Instagram shows gore and violence videos to select users (Feb. 2025)
In what Instagram calls an "error", some users were shown videos of graphic death scenes and animal abuse in their Reels feed for about a day.[5]
This also serves as an example for the kind of content Meta staff has to review when flagged and raises questions about the mental health impact watching this type of content all day has on the workers tasked with content moderation.
Instagram allows AI to be trained on user data (Mar. 2023)
In March 2023, Instagram updated it's Terms of Service to allow them to use collected data to train artificial intelligence.[4] This data includes uploaded photos and videos and the creators were not given compensation. This new TOS was mandatory to accept to continue using the platform.
New iOS Camera Activity Indicator shows camera activity at unexpected moments (2020–2022)
Some users reported their camera being accessed while they were not using a feature of the app that ordinarily involves taking pictures or video. This was revealed by a new indicator in iOS 14 and the same thing was repeated in when Android 12 introduced a similar indicator. [6][7][8]
In a separate incident [I think November 2022], users reported suddenly seeing their camera feed behind the Instragram interface when scrolling their feed or interacting with posts [SOURCES NEEDED – very difficult to find the reports on this].
Instagram claimed that nothing was recorded in these instances. Their responses never addressed concerns that the camera feed might be used for things like analysing the face for emotional reaction to ads, recording location information or similar.[9]
Instagram uses personal data for advertisements without proper consent (Nov. 2020)
Controversy regarding the data privacy of minors (Mar. 2019)
References
- ↑ "Facebook to Acquire Instagram". Meta. 9 Apr 2012. Retrieved 17 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Cuthberson, Anthony (18 Mar 2021). "Instagram is 'most invasive app', new study shows". Independent. Retrieved 17 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Privacy Policy
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 Terms of Service
- ↑ Milmo, Dan (2025-02-28). "Meta apologises over flood of gore, violence and dead bodies on Instagram". The Guardian. Retrieved 2025-03-06.
- ↑ Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidQuestions/comments/s85mv2/why_does_instagram_use_my_camera_whenever_i_exit/. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Instagram/comments/qiyofe/why_is_instagram_accessing_my_camera_at/. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Instagram/comments/ssqeyi/instagram_weirdly_accessing_camera_more_in_first/. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Becker, Leo (2020-07-27). "Unerwünschter iPhone-Kamerazugriff: Instagram verweist auf Bug". Heise Online [German]. Retrieved 2025-03-18.