Social media platform Instagram says it is making changes in the way members use the platform in ways not in conformity with the original intentions of the site. On target are certain “inauthentic” accounts on Instagram which are using third-party apps to post likes and comments. This practice is going to be stopped by Instagram with immediate effect. This message has been shared in a blogpost on the Instagram site’s Info Center.
According to this blog, the otherwise pleasant experience the users of Instagram sign up and visit the site for, is spoiled by these inauthentic accounts and that is the reason behind the steps being taken now. The blog goes on to say that they have tools with machine learning capabilities to detect the inauthentic accounts and they will be sent an in-app message that says their activities have been identified to be inauthentic and that such activities must be stopped forthwith. All those posts of likes and comments which have been orchestrated with the help of third-party apps will be removed. The account-holders will be asked to change their password and sign in anew. In the words of the blog, these inauthentic activities are in violation of Instagram’s “Community Guidelines and Terms of Use”.
The objective behind these steps by Instagram is also to make the accounts more secure for the members. When third-party apps enter the scene, the risk factor increases since many people share their data with these apps and that make their information insecure and Instagram would not want to be part of such data insecurity. It is advising all its account-holders who might have even inadvertently shared their data with third party apps to immediately change their passwords.
The blog contains images of screenshots of the messages being sent to the inauthentic accounts.
Instagram has also said that this would be an ongoing exercise.