Instagram is one of the biggest internet monoliths of our time. It has provided countless people with the opportunity to connect on a visual based platform that is simple, and it has made it a great deal easier for the average consumer to take high level pictures with professional filters all from the very smartphone that they use to do pretty much everything else. However, one major issue that a lot of people have had with the now eight year old application is the fact that it didn’t have two factor authentication, a major security risk if you wanted to keep all of your pictures and the like safe.
With the latest update to the app, Instagram has finally rolled out support for third party authentication apps. All you have to do to get the security these apps offer now is to go to your account settings, activate two-factor authentication and then select whatever app you would like having doing this job. This can really boost the level of security you enjoy on Instagram, which is very important indeed if you want to keep your data safe. Essentially what this allows you to do is that it would enable you to take your security into your own hands rather than having to leave it up to Instagram.
Prior to this, Instagram used a text message based authentication system. While half a loaf is certainly better than none, the fact of the matter is that there are a number of ways in which an SMS can be intercepted. Not only can your phone be hacked, things as simple as text messages being synced to someone else’s phone can put your account at risk, because it could give someone else information that could potentially allow them to access your account.
Another update that could prove to be useful is the “About this Account” section that Instagram has added to accounts with large numbers of followers. You can use this page to see when the account was established, how many of its followers share followers with one other, what country the account is based in as well as whether or not the account is running any ads at the moment. This is going to help you figure out what accounts are doing product placements as well as whether an account is real or not in the first place.
While all of these updates are certainly welcome, they have been a long time coming which is definitely not a very good sign. Instagram will need to up its game if it wants people to take it seriously, because at the end of the day it is an internet monolith and if it does not take its users’ security seriously people are going to start abandoning it for other photo based social media apps that have been proven to be a lot more secure with a track record that would show people that the social media network in question is far preferable.
With the latest update to the app, Instagram has finally rolled out support for third party authentication apps. All you have to do to get the security these apps offer now is to go to your account settings, activate two-factor authentication and then select whatever app you would like having doing this job. This can really boost the level of security you enjoy on Instagram, which is very important indeed if you want to keep your data safe. Essentially what this allows you to do is that it would enable you to take your security into your own hands rather than having to leave it up to Instagram.
Prior to this, Instagram used a text message based authentication system. While half a loaf is certainly better than none, the fact of the matter is that there are a number of ways in which an SMS can be intercepted. Not only can your phone be hacked, things as simple as text messages being synced to someone else’s phone can put your account at risk, because it could give someone else information that could potentially allow them to access your account.
Another update that could prove to be useful is the “About this Account” section that Instagram has added to accounts with large numbers of followers. You can use this page to see when the account was established, how many of its followers share followers with one other, what country the account is based in as well as whether or not the account is running any ads at the moment. This is going to help you figure out what accounts are doing product placements as well as whether an account is real or not in the first place.
While all of these updates are certainly welcome, they have been a long time coming which is definitely not a very good sign. Instagram will need to up its game if it wants people to take it seriously, because at the end of the day it is an internet monolith and if it does not take its users’ security seriously people are going to start abandoning it for other photo based social media apps that have been proven to be a lot more secure with a track record that would show people that the social media network in question is far preferable.
Also Read: Instagram Scam Alert For The Users By BBB
