With all the privacy and security issues that are coming up for Mark Zuckerberg and his companies, we can expect that it’s not just Facebook that will face backlash and maybe even a significant loss of users (unless you didn’t know that Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp are all owned by him). Instagram is reportedly soon launching a tool that would let users download all their content from the photo-sharing app, just like what you can do with Facebook (yes, if you didn’t know yet, you can do that since 2010).
With the recent Cambridge Analytica revelations and then Zuckerberg’s trip in front of the US Congress, there is much concern about how much user data social networks keep. In case some users are thinking of quitting Instagram or they just want to have a backup of their data, you will soon be able to download all your photos, videos, and messages easily. A spokesperson for Instagram said that they are coming up with a “data portability tool” so users will be able to do this without going through a lot of hoops (hopefully).
While there is no specific date yet for this rollout they are probably working to have it on or before May 25. That is so they will be able to comply with the new European privacy laws that will require tech companies to have data portability for their users. This will also be a sort of goodwill to their 800 million users worldwide even though there is of course the risk that after they download it, they will leave and go back to Snapchat or some other photo sharing app that isn’t as “hot” as Facebook companies are now.
The good news for Instagram is that it isn’t a hot topic issue as its parent company is right now, since most people really just use it for photo and video sharing and not much personal data is shared (well, not as personal as with Facebook). Still, we’ll keep you updated when they will officially release this tool.
VIA: Reuters
