An under-development update to the Instagram feature may limit the number of followers that a user can view from a different user’s account, adding a bit more privacy to one’s online life, as reported by Alessandro Paluzzi.
The feature is entirely limited to verified Business accounts that have over four thousand followers, so the general Instagram populace is still very much able to access each other’s follower lists. Maybe Instagram’s thought process was that only verified accounts could ever be popular enough to warrant such restrictions, since everyone else can just go by on updating their security features and whatnot. Either way, it’s an interesting glimpse into Meta and its treatment of verified, often celebrity-owned accounts as opposed to the typical everyday users that populate its platforms and generate much of the social media conglomerate’s revenue.
Frances Haugen, famed ex-employee for Facebook and current whistleblower, leaked a series of personal documents from Facebook’s memos and internal discussions. These ended up revealing a lot about how Meta deals with harmful content (i.e. by doling it out in order to get more user engagement), but that’s not what’s relevant right now. Another Facebook internal detail that was leaked by Haugen’s documents is the social network’s tendency towards leniency for high-profile celebrity accounts. They were allowed more than the typical three strikes for content that can lead to a profile being banned or removed, and were often allowed to post more risqué content that the average user could not get away with.
Now, I have no problems with risqué content, nor do I have problems with celebrities and big businesses maintaining a certain medium of privacy. After all, people who obsess over celebrities are, to use a painfully simple word, nuts. These are individuals who stalk people into their houses, the last thing anyone wants them noticing are their mutual. However, it’s a very tiny expression of yet another form of elitism that Meta should honestly start retiring as soon as it gets done with the five lawsuits being slapped onto it every other day.
Read next: Instagram is testing out a new feature which would enable users to see mentions in their stories
The feature is entirely limited to verified Business accounts that have over four thousand followers, so the general Instagram populace is still very much able to access each other’s follower lists. Maybe Instagram’s thought process was that only verified accounts could ever be popular enough to warrant such restrictions, since everyone else can just go by on updating their security features and whatnot. Either way, it’s an interesting glimpse into Meta and its treatment of verified, often celebrity-owned accounts as opposed to the typical everyday users that populate its platforms and generate much of the social media conglomerate’s revenue.
Frances Haugen, famed ex-employee for Facebook and current whistleblower, leaked a series of personal documents from Facebook’s memos and internal discussions. These ended up revealing a lot about how Meta deals with harmful content (i.e. by doling it out in order to get more user engagement), but that’s not what’s relevant right now. Another Facebook internal detail that was leaked by Haugen’s documents is the social network’s tendency towards leniency for high-profile celebrity accounts. They were allowed more than the typical three strikes for content that can lead to a profile being banned or removed, and were often allowed to post more risqué content that the average user could not get away with.
Now, I have no problems with risqué content, nor do I have problems with celebrities and big businesses maintaining a certain medium of privacy. After all, people who obsess over celebrities are, to use a painfully simple word, nuts. These are individuals who stalk people into their houses, the last thing anyone wants them noticing are their mutual. However, it’s a very tiny expression of yet another form of elitism that Meta should honestly start retiring as soon as it gets done with the five lawsuits being slapped onto it every other day.
Read next: Instagram is testing out a new feature which would enable users to see mentions in their stories