Instagram is a social network with specific content, primarily photos and videos. And it is used mainly as a platform for viewing others and showing yourself in the best possible light. That’s partly why there are few privacy settings. All the same, many users do post very personal things, which means that protecting posts is worth paying attention to.
The same basic rules apply here as anywhere else: enable two-factor authentication and do not add strangers to your friends list (unless you plan to become an influencer and make money from your account). With Instagram, it is important to be even more careful about the things you post.
Your account privacy
If you are not a professional photographer, a company, or the next PewDiePie, it is not totally necessary to show your personal pictures to the entire world. The reason they are personal in the first place is because they are intended for a limited circle of people.
If your account is for yourself and friends/family, and not for self-promotion, make it private. This will let you control who sees your pictures. And this is especially important if you post photos of children. When they grow up, they are unlikely to thank you for showing embarrassing pictures of them to the world!
Your online status
If you subscribe to a user or send them a message, they will be able to see when you are online or last logged in. Too much? Then disable this feature in the settings. The downside is that you won’t be able to see other people’s online statuses.
Comments on your posts
Do you have friends who don’t count modesty as one of their virtues? Afraid that some comments might smear your reputation?
Set up comment filtering, and the problem is solved. Instagram lets you hide everything that contains keywords or phrases that you specify. If you can’t think of any, use the standard set — there’s a checkbox for that too.
Photos and videos with you tagged
When a user tags you in a photo or video, this content automatically appears in your profile. And you can’t influence it in any way.
To avoid this, change Add Automatically in the settings to Add Manually. This gives you complete control over what lands in your profile.
Account access
There are many apps and services that allow you to search for photos on Instagram or repost them elsewhere. All they need for this is, that’s right, access to your account. This greatly increases the risk of a leak, so don’t do it unless absolutely necessary.
Two-factor authentication
You’re already well acquainted with the advantages of two-factor authentication. Instagram lets you use not only SMS codes, but special apps like Google Authenticator — they are more reliable.
Instagram users you write to can see when you log in. Can you change this?