Unlock the Secrets to Ultimate Privacy on Instagram - Learn How to Change Your Settings Now!
In this digital age, where social media platforms have become an integral part of people’s lives, maintaining privacy is a crucial aspect. Instagram is one such platform that lets us share our pictures, videos, and thoughts with the world. However, it is equally essential to ensure that our personal data is not misused or accessed by third-party users or cybercriminals. But do you know how to keep your Instagram account private and safe from prying eyes? Let’s dive in and learn more about it.
Understanding Instagram privacy settings
Instagram offers several privacy settings that allow users to control who can view their posts, stories, and profile details. These options can be accessed via the app’s settings menu, where you can review and modify privacy settings as per your preference. The key privacy settings include:
Private Account
By setting your account as private, you ensure that only those who follow you can view your profile, posts, and stories. If your account is public, anyone, even those who don’t follow you, can view your posts, share them, or comment on them.
To set your Instagram account as private, go to the app’s settings, then Privacy, and toggle on the “Private Account” option.
Block Users
You can block users who you don’t want to see or engage with your content. They will not be able to find your profile, view your posts or stories, or send you messages.
To block a user, navigate to their profile, tap the three-dot menu, and select “Block.”
Mute Users
If you don’t want to completely block someone but want to reduce their visibility on your feed, you can mute them. This way, their posts and stories will not appear in your feed.
To mute a user, navigate to their profile, tap the three-dot menu, and select “Mute.”
Story Sharing
You can disable others from sharing your stories by setting it to only allowed for your followers or disable it completely.
To access the story sharing settings, go to the app’s settings menu, then Privacy, and toggle off or on if your followers are allowed to share your stories.
Comment Controls
You can restrict comments on your posts by setting it to only allowed for your followers or disable it completely. You can also manually filter out specific words or phrases by creating a custom list.
To access comment controls, go to the app’s settings menu, then Privacy, and select “Comments Restriction.”
Conclusion
As we have seen, privacy is not just one setting but an array of options that you can customize as per your preference. By changing these settings, you can ensure that your personal data is not visible to the world and keep cybercriminals at bay. Take a moment and configure your Instagram account settings to ensure your safety and privacy. By doing so, you can continue to enjoy using the platform while keeping your personal data secure.
Meta, in particular, has been embroiled in controversy over its invasive practices. It launched the Privacy Center for Facebook, which better informs users of how they’re tracked and offers settings to limit tracking. Tap or click here to check out some critical Facebook security settings. Some Facebook privacy settings have made their way over to the Meta-owned Instagram. Let’s go over some of the biggest ones you should pay attention to.
Who can see your posts
You can control who sees your Instagram posts by setting your account to public or private. If your account is public, anyone can see your posts even if they don’t have an Instagram account. If you set your account to private, your profile and posts can only be seen by people logged into Instagram who you’ve approved to follow you. To make your account private on iPhone and Android:
Open the Instagram app.Tap your profile picture to go to your profile.Tap the hamburger menu, then tap Settings.Tap Privacy.Toggle on the slider next to Private Account to the right to make your account private.
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Who can see you’re currently online
People you follow and those you exchange direct messages with can see when you were recently or currently active. You can switch this off so nobody can know when you’re online, but you also lose the ability to see when anyone else is online. To change the visibility of your Activity Status on iPhone and Android:
Open the Instagram app.Tap your profile picture to go to your profile.Tap the hamburger menu, then tap Settings.Tap Privacy, then Activity Status.Toggle the slider next to Show Activity Status to the right to make your status unavailable. If you change your mind, follow these steps and slide the toggle to the left to make your status available.
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Location tracking
Many people tag their location when posting to social media. This can be fun if you’re at a famous landmark, but it’s a risky practice. You’re not only letting people know where you are at any given time, but Instagram uses that information to target you with content from advertisers and other Instagram users. You can restrict Instagram from knowing your location via your phone’s settings. Here’s how to do it from your iPhone:
Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Instagram > Never.
To turn off Instagram’s access to your location on Android:
Go to Settings > Location > App access to location > Instagram > Deny.Depending on which Android phone you’re using, you may find Location settings under Permissions.
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Ad tracking/data sharing
Facebook gives users the option to limit the amount of information collected from Facebook and third-party apps. Instagram doesn’t have this option, but changing it in Facebook will apply the setting to Instagram. Either way, you’ll see the same amount of ads, but less of your activity will be used to target you. To limit ad tracking and data sharing on Instagram, open the Facebook app on your iPhone or Android phone and follow these steps:
Tap the hamburger menu Tap Settings & Privacy > Settings.Scroll to the Permissions section and tap Ad preferences > Ad settings > Data About Your Activity From Partners.Slide the toggle next to Not Allowed to the left to disable personalized ads.
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