Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms amongst the youth. Currently, it has 1.386 billion active users worldwide. As the number of users of Instagram is growing exponentially so the threat of security is growing as well.
The reason why Instagram security is under threat is that many of the users are even not aware of using basic features of Instagram such as changing Instagram passwords, deleting an Instagram post, or securing Instagram from unauthorised access.
These are the reasons which have excited me to write this article so that I can share with you whatever I know about Instagram.
So, today in this article I have decided to discuss one of the basic features that are on how to stay safe and secure on Instagram, and then later on I will deal with the other features of Instagram in my next article.
Let’s begin now and know the 5 reasons why we should secure our Instagram.
10 Tips To Secure Your Instagram Account
1.Prevent Malicious Attack: We receive loads of messages with links on our smartphone’s inbox and knowingly or unknowingly we click on those links without giving a second thought.
Sometimes those links may be malicious. Clicking on those links may cause serious issues on your phone’s app including your Instagram.
So, it’s good to keep all the apps passwords updated frequently including Instagram.
2. Make Your Account Private: Instagram accounts that are public can be seen by anybody on Instagram. That means whatever you post on Instagram is accessible to everyone.
So, if you want to secure your Instagram account then it is recommended to keep your profile private.
Anyhow if you are not interested to keep your account private then you should frequently update your password frequently. I would suggest, keep your password long including special characters such as @, #, $, or %. Updating passwords frequently will prevent your account from hackers or unauthorized access to your account.
To keep the Instagram account on the private mode you would need to follow the path Settings–> Privacy–> Account Privacy.
3. Remove Unwanted followers :If blocking, restricting, and muting the followers is not working for you then the final solution is to remove or unfollow them from your Instagram.
To make use of this technique go to your profile, tap followers, and find who you want to remove.
4.Revoke Access to Third Party Software: Avoid third-party apps, as these apps add extra functionality to Instagram but it can be too risky as well because those apps have the permission to easily access your Insta account. So, avoid using as many third-party apps, If you have already given access to any third-party plugin, it is good practice to revoke access to that software quickly to prevent further damage.
5. Two Factor Authentication is a must : Enable two-factor authentication because whenever you log in you will get a notification on your email or mobile number. In this way, you can easily track your Instagram login attempt.
For example, if anyone except you try to access your account, you will get a notification when you enable two-factor authentification. Therefore it will help you to protect your account from access to online hackers, harassers, or scammers.
To enable two factors authentication follow the path: Go to your “profile”–> click the three vertical hamburger on the top of the right corner–>tap “Settings”–> and then tap “Security”–> At last tap the “Two-factor authentification”.
6. Avoid Phishing: Sometimes scammer pretends to be from Instagram and sends fake emails containing the links. Thus, users are unable to distinguish between fake emails and official emails from Instagram.
In order to prevent users from this phishing activity, Instagram has launched a new feature called “emails from Instagram”.
You can find this feature under “Settings”–>”Security”–>”Emails from Instagram”.
Under this setting, you can see the emails from Instagram sent to you in the last 14 days regarding your account security and the location from which you have logged in.
7. Always check your login activity:: Under the “Login activity” which comes under the “Security” tab, you can check your login activity and you will be able to see the login details. Thus in this way, you will be able to secure your account from unauthorized access from hackers.
To find this feature first of all you have to tap on your profile available on the extreme right bottom corner of your Instagram profile and then tap the “three vertical lines” on the top right corner and then tap “Settings” and “Security”. Under the Security section, you will find the “Login activity section”
8. Mute Account: :If you don’t want to make your account private then you can mute a user. Activating the feature will stop you from seeing updates from the muted friends but at the same time, you will remain their friends as well.
To set this feature for your Instagram account go to Settings > Privacy> Muted Accounts.
Thus, under this feature, you will be able to check how many users you have muted.
9. Inspect Account to find out the legitimacy: Do you know how to inspect an account to find out whether it is legit or fake? Let me tell you that Instagram has also added a tool using which you can easily detect the legitimacy of any profile.
This feature of Instagram will help you to find out when the users have joined Instagram, from which country the account belongs, former usernames, and accounts with shared followers.
To find this tool go to someone’s profile and then tap the three vertical dots. After that, you will get the option to “ About This Account”.
10. Block or Restrict Account: If you think someone is bullying you or posting inappropriate comments and want to get rid of those bad friends then you can report those profiles on Instagram. Doing this will help you to block or restrict those accounts.
To activate these features Go to Settings>Privacy>Restricted Accounts.
Conclusion:
These are the 10 tricks that you can use to secure your Instagram account. If you find this article valuable, it is your duty to share this article on your social media profile.
On the other hand, if you want to learn more tips and tricks about Instagram, WhatsApp, or any social media check the “How to” category on BeingOptimist.
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