Social media platforms are all under extra pressure to convince their users of the security of their sites and any data collected. And more importantly, they seem to have come to realise that it could be the fake account holders that are responsible for many issues being reported on their sites.
To curb such issues, Instagram has now introduced a feature by which its subscribers can verify if an account they are dealing with on the app is an authentic one or not. Instagram has 1 billion users and this new feature could come as a relief to users. Facebook, which owns Instagram, had also undertaken a similar exercise earlier.
Under this feature, a user can click on “About This Account” and get to know the details of where the account is originally located (country of origin), the kind of advertisement the account is hosting and so on. Instagram has issued a statement as well, explaining that this new feature is meant to keep the genuine users of Instagram safe from predators and people with malicious intentions causing any kind of disturbance.
To further safeguard the interest of the users, a two-factor authentication is also being introduced and for this Instagram may use Google Authenticator or Duo Mobile. This method is increasingly getting traction as more and more applications and sites are insisting in two-factor authentication. It is one way of minimizing hackers from braking in using the passwords they might have stolen.
Facebook’s action related to toughening the way some fake accounts were being maintained and ensuring better security.
Instagram’s new feature will start appearing on the app in a few days’ time while it has already introduced a code for account holders who have a sizeable following to first go through a verification process. This will be made available within Instagram itself.