A Guide to Instagram’s Privacy Settings
Instagram is a photo-sharing app that allows users to share their photos, videos and stories. Instagram has 600 million active users and it continues to grow. Users can download the apps on their smartphones, from the app store. The app was made for the smartphone as you can only share photos from your device. The photos you share can be seen by the public and or by your followers only.
Sharing your photos online is something not everyone is comfortable with. Some users prefer having their followers, to be able to view their content. There are privacy settings that allow your photos to only be seen by your followers. When you create an Instagram profile, you adjust the privacy settings to your preference. Here is a guide to Instagram’s privacy settings:
Making Photos Private
To make your photos private, click Options > Scroll down to Accounts > Press ‘Private Account’ button> Click Yes to pop up box. The button should then turn blue as shown in the picture above. This will allow only your followers to view your photos. If there is any person who wishes to follow a private account, they must send a request. The user must accept the request to allow their photos to be seen by the requester.
Censoring Comments
Instagram introduced the ability to censor/block inappropriate comments on photos. This won’t allow users to comment certain words or phrases on your photos. This provides users more control.
If you go to options > settings > comments> Hide Inappropriate Comments, there’s the option of blocking certain keywords you deem inappropriate.
Hide Inappropriate Comments button will then turn blue. You then press check after you’ve finished writing the keywords. This prevents the user from receiving inappropriate comments and or harassment from other users.
Blocking Someone
At some point, you will come across someone whom you don’t want to keep in your follower list. There is the option of blocking the user. To block an unwanted user, you click on your profile > Click the three dots in top right hand corner> Block User> Click ‘Yes, I’m Sure’ on confirmation box. The blocked user will then have no access to your content and can’t search for you on the application.
These are steps into creating a private profile for your Instagram account. By following some or all of these steps, your privacy will be protected by Instagram.
