Instagram Privacy Tips and FAQ

December 6, 2011  |  Marketing, Technology

I reveal the mysteries of Instagram‘s inner workings. Some nuances to privacy settings are unclear on Instagram Help, so let’s shed some light. Skip to ii. Privacy below if you know enough about account management and third party Instagram websites.Instagram_screenshot_photo_by_enda_ungu_emilybinder

i. Instagram FAQ

1. Can I have multiple usernames?
Yes. Each must be associated with a different email address.

2. Can I toggle between my usernames on the iPhone app?
No, you have to log out and log in to switch your profile. Here are tips on using Dropbox and Fotogramme to make toggling less painful.

3. Can I see Instagram pictures online?
Yes. Some are directly uploaded to Flickr, Tumblr, Posterous etc. But if a user simply tweets a link to the IG picture, you can see it by clicking the link (or in twitter.com’s native display). However, you won’t be able to login and Like or comment. To do this:

4. Can I Like and comment Instagram pictures online while being logged into and able to manage my IG account?
Yes. For this, I like statigr.am best. There are several other  third party Instagram services. This post covers the top 10, however I’ll leave out the cat-related and meaningless competition-based ones in my list.These are the other two sites with functionality closest to the Instagram iPhone app:

A. Ink361 (formerly Inkstagram) Login to this web-based version of Instagram. You can do everything you can on the iPhone app except add new pictures.

B. Insta-great Login to see Instagram photos, follow/unfollow users, or to like photos. Filter photos by dates, users, or tags. You can only view one picture in full size at a time.Instgre.at_Insta-great-screenshot_emilybinderTo see IG photos in a stream or grid, try the web gallery Instagrid.

ii. Privacy Tips

You can block a user. This means that even if they are following you, they will not see your photos in their Instagram feed, nor will your actions (commenting, liking) show up in their News – Following feed. However, they can still see your photos in other ways: If you tweet or post a link to another social network when you share an IG photo, they can click it and see the photo. For example, I am on private mode but I shared to Twitter when I uploaded this Sweetwater Brewing Co. Instagram photo: Sweetwater Brewery Instagram picture by Emily Binder Twitter adoreajarbakery

Anyone can see this photo online, but only IG users who I have approved to follow me can A) view it naturally in their feed, B) view it within the iPhone app, C) like or comment. Don’t put anything on Instagram that you’d be ashamed for someone to see.

Private mode

You can toggle “Photos are private” on or off in the app Profile settings. Anyone who followed you while you were not in private mode will not be affected, but new followers will be in approval purgatory just like on Foursquare. More on viewing private photos online here.

Stalkers

If you are already in private mode and still have a particular user you don’t want to have access, be mindful of new followers. If a user has few pictures (less than ten), few followers, or lacks profile picture: red flag.

If you’re concerned about a stalker, save all their email addresses in your phone contacts. When a new user joins IG with an email address you stored, IG announces, “Your friend (Caught B. Ingdumb) just joined Instagram.” Not knowing this, the stalker will assume that their fake profile is unbeknownst to you.

Check out my post about privacy and notifications for liking and unliking on Instagram.

Deleting comments on Instagram for iPhone

You can delete your own comments anywhere and others’ comments on your photos. When viewing any photo, click “comment” at the bottom as if you were going to comment. If you slide your finger left over any comment, you’ll have the option to delete it. Slide back to the right if you don’t want to delete. Comment with any questions. Follow me on Instagram @emilybinder.

*This blog is not affiliated with Instagram in any way. My knowledge is based on my own experience and experimentation.

Update 2/10/12: Due to the volume of comments, it may take me a few days to respond. Read through the posted responses to see if your question has already been answered.

Update 8/27/12: Instagram 3.0 was released on 8/16/12. This app update introduced Photo Maps and greater privacy over the following and follower lists for private users (now these lists are not visible to non-followers). This post was originally published on 12/6/11 and the comments predating 8/16/12 reflect Instagram 2.0. I won’t go back and edit all the comments but I will answer in real time going forward.

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  • Jack

    Mutual friends: 255
    Users I’m following: 261
    Users that are following me: 267

    I’m really confused. I’ve gone through my list dozens of times. I am following EVERYONE that follows me. Clearly there are users that have blocked me but are still following me (their names show up in apps). How can I block them also so they are removed from following me?!

    • http://www.emilybinder.com Emily Binder

      Hi Jack, an annoying problem, isn’t it? Instagram privacy is a mess and it’s full of loopholes. You’re right – some users who are following you have blocked you. If those users’ names show up in apps as you say, then you know who they are. Since you cannot search for a user who’s blocked you, you’ll need to find their username in a like or comment on a photo that you can view (a public photo or a photo posted by a private user you’re following). If you know the blockers personally, you could probably poke around and find other Instagram users with whom your blockers are likely to interact (interact meaning like or comment). Tap their username once you find it and block them.

      If some of the blockers are strangers, you could try and dig around the web to discover their other social profiles. They may have the same username for IG, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, etc. From there, you may be able to figure out at least one IG user they follow, then scroll through photos looking for an action from the blocker.

  • Jackie

    If I blocked then unblocked a person, do they need to re-follow me?

  • Saulei

    Hi, I don’t really have a question. I just want to express my disappointment and frustration with Instagram’s “block” option. It has tons of MAJOR loopholes. I wanted to know how the users I’ve blocked (and currently not following) view me on their Instagram feed so I experimented by making a dummy account which I blocked from my personal account. And here is what I found out:

    1) If you are blocked and you search for the username, it will say “no user found”
    2) But, if you come across a photo that the blocker liked or commented on, you can easily go to their profile.
    3) Lastly (and this is the MAJOR one), once you’re on the profile, it will show the current number of photos (like 43 photos, for example) but at the bottom (the space where the photos are supposed to be), it says “no photos yet”. AND if you try to follow them, it will turn green and say “following” for half a second then turn back to blue!!! You can EASILY tell if you’ve been blocked.

    The block option doesn’t provide the privacy that the blocker needs. It’s pretty much useless. That’s why I just unblocked them and simply kept my profile private. I realized it will cause much more trouble if they found out I blocked them. It really is very frustrating! I really hope Instagram fixes this!

  • veronica

    are there any apps out there that can tell you when a person has viewed your instagram page? someone I know told me exactly how many times I viewed their page a week and said they saw when I looked at it? there must be an app that allows this capability has anyone have any idea what app is it? but he was dead on correct so I know he wasnt just pulling my leg! there is a way people can tell when youve looked at their page! be careful people!!

    • http://www.emilybinder.com Emily Binder

      Hi, there is no app I can imagine that can track when you’ve viewed someone’s Instagram photos or profile. Just as with Facebook, no one will know when you’ve looked at their profile unless you take some action such as liking, commenting, or requesting to follow.

  • Tattered

    So I blocked someone on ig some how they now blocked me!? How does that happen?! And can they now see my photos when they please? I’m not okay with that!!

  • heidi

    So if I blocked someone while I wasn’t private, then went private, if I unblock them they will have access and not go through the approval process?

  • maria

    If i register myself in instagram is it possible that some people can know my email?

    • http://www.emilybinder.com Emily Binder

      Users will not be able to see your email address in your Instagram profile. However if a user has your email stored in their phone’s contacts, they may be able to search Instagram for their contacts and find your username that way.

  • Sally

    If I have changed my mind and want to unblock someone who I previously blocked, will they still be following me when I do? (i.e. they were following me, then I blocked them. If I unblock, will the previous status be there or do they have to re-follow me)?

    • http://www.emilybinder.com Emily Binder

      Once you block someone, that removes them from following you. They will have to re-follow you.

  • MadGirlfriend362

    My stupid ex boyfriend blocked me on instagram, whichis great! But not for me. He can still see my photos even though he has indeed blocked me, and since he blocked me I can’t search for him and “revenge” block him back so…wtf. he stalks my pictures and im not even allowed to block him back. Smh instagram, smh.

  • curiousgeorge

    Hi, I searched for a user–their names pops up and i am able to view their profile, and their picture a long with follow them. When I follow them they still appear in my follow list…. But ne thing, when I go to like a picture, the red heart appears for a second the unlikes itself, also, when I try to comment on their picture, I get a red ! that doesn’t allow the comment to post. Why is this , and am I blocked. We have one follower in common that we both follow and he follows both of us back if that means anything..

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