Internet users have reported receiving a dizzying number of emails tied to the European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Many of them can be quite easy to glaze over, but a notice from Instagram included a line that might be rather shocking to some users.
In the updated Terms and Conditions, Instagram says it keeps track of how users tap and scroll through the app, according to Business Insider, which first spotted the change.
Instagram updated its terms and conditions to comply with the new General Data Protection Regulation. It told users that it keeps track of how users tap and scroll through the app
‘We receive different kinds of information from your device, like how you tap and scroll, which can help distinguish humans from bots and detect fraud,’ the policy says.
The new GDPR rules require data portability and also mandate that companies inform users how they’re collecting data on them.
Instagram is said to have notified users about the new policy update starting last month, Business Insider said.
So while it may seem creepy that Instagram is tracking your every move in the app, it says it’s for good reason — to put an end to bot activity.
Instagram has struggled to get its bot problem under control in the past.
Similar to Twitter, the firm has been hit with shadowy firms that automatically like, follow and comment on Instagram posts.
While it may seem creepy that Instagram is tracking your every move in the app, it says it’s for good reason — to put an end to bot activity, which it has struggled to curb in recent years
In response, Instagram has been relying on artificial intelligence to help detect patterns and distinguish behavior between human profiles and bot accounts.
The Terms and Conditions update is just one of the ways that Instagram has prepared for the new GDPR rules.
Last month, Instagram introduced a new Data Download feature that lets Instagram users download a copy of all the content they’ve uploaded on the platform.
That includes data such as photos, videos, Stories, profile info, comments and messages.
Pictured is what the Data Download page looks like on Instagram’s desktop site. Users enter their email to receive their data file, which the firm said can take up to 48 hours to send
To access the Data Download feature, open the Instagram website on your desktop browser.
From there, navigate to your profile, then click on the gear icon and select ‘Privacy and Security’.
Scroll down the Privacy and Security page until you get to the ‘Data Download’ section and click on ‘Request Download’.
Instagram them prompts you to enter an email address in order to access all your data.
WHAT IS THE EU’S GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION?
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new data protection law that will enter into force on May 25, 2018.
It aims to strengthen and unify data protection for all individuals within the European Union (EU).
This means cracking down on how companies like Google and Facebook use and sell the data they collect on their users.
The law will mark the biggest overhaul of personal data privacy rules since the birth of the internet.
Under GDPR, companies will be required to report data breaches within 72 hours, as well as to allow customers to export their data and delete it.
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new data protection law that will enter into force on May 25. It aims to crack down on how companies like Google and Facebook use and sell the data they collect on their users
Part of the expanded rights of data subjects outlined by the GDPR is the right for data subjects to obtain from the data controller confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning them is being processed, where and for what purpose.
Further, the controller must provide a copy of the personal data, free of charge, in an electronic format. This change is a dramatic shift to data transparency and empowerment of data subjects.
Under the right to be forgotten, also known as Data Erasure, are entitled to have the data controller erase their personal data, cease further dissemination of the data, and potentially have third parties halt processing of the data.
The conditions for erasure include the data no longer being relevant to original purposes for processing, or a data subject withdrawing their consent.
This right requires controllers to compare the subjects’ rights to ‘the public interest in the availability of the data’ when considering such requests.
The firm noted that it may take up to 48 hours for it to send a download link.
Importantly, the tool lets users control the data they’ve uploaded to the platform, but not necessarily all the data Instagram has collected on them.
Thus far, users have been forced to use potentially unsecure or scammy third-party apps to download their data from Instagram, via apps like Instaport.