You must adjust these 7 privacy settings immediately

“I have nothing to hide” is a statement you may have heard yourself or friends say when it comes to privacy. Nevertheless, it is important not to talk (too) lightly about your digital privacy, after all, malicious parties are lurking to pick up your personal data, including on Instagram. Androidworld explains how you can best protect your privacy on Instagram.

Instagram privacy settings

What data has Instagram collected about you, who can access your profile and who can view your story: these are just a few of the settings you can find on Instagram. Many users may be familiar with the setting to hide their own profile, but do they know the other settings as well? Now that Instagram is increasingly used as a digital diary, Instagram profiles are becoming more and more interesting for malicious parties. Not just to be able to attack you digitally; also face to face. Or: what do you think of the cool holiday photos. Do you really want everyone to see where you are?

Earlier on Androidworld 7 we discussed privacy settings that you need to adjust on Facebook. With Instagram you are lucky that profiles are easier to close, so that people can access your data less easily. However, privacy concerns remain as soon as they come through that protective layer, because you allow malicious parties, whether or not accidentally, to access your profile.

Below we explain the privacy settings that you ‘must’ adjust on Instagram. Do you have any additions? Be sure to post it in the comments.

1. Switch to a private account

After the previous explanation, the importance of a private account does not need to be explained anymore. By banning strangers from your account, they do not have access to your photos, stories, follower list and it is also less easy for them to send you a chat message. If you are using the app for the first time, your account will be public by default. Initially, this poses few problems – it is only once your account gets more followers and interactions, that unwanted interactions will also come to you. Prevent that by setting your account to private.

1. Open the Instagram app
2. Click bottom right on your profile picture
3. Then select the in the top right hamburger menu
4. Click in the pop up menu on Settings
5. Navigate to the tab Privacy
6. Put the switch at the back Private account

2. Hide offensive messages

Sometimes you read DMs or comments on Instagram that you wish you hadn’t read. Especially with an open account, you are more likely to receive offensive messages. Fortunately, Instagram has included two options in its privacy settings with which you can hide offensive messages. What exactly falls under offensive messages, Instagram does not explain to the institution. Presumably it concerns sexually tinted and violent messages. If you are bothered by offensive messages, it is certainly recommended to follow the steps below.

1. Open the Instagram app
2. Click bottom right on your profile picture
3. Then select the in the top right hamburger menu
4. Click in the pop up menu on Settings
5. Navigate to the tab Privacy
6. Click below Interactions on the option hidden words
7. Put the switches at the back Hide comments and Hide Chat Message Requests

In this menu you can also add words that you would like to block. For example, you can hide swear words and other sexual or violent terms on Instagram. After adding the custom word list, don’t forget to check the bottom two switches turn on.

3. Change who can tag you

Have you ever been tagged by someone you don’t know, or by people you’d rather not tag you in posts? After all, it is possible that a tag in a message on Instagram brings (a lot of) unwanted visitors to your profile. In addition, it may also happen that you are tagged in a spam or offensive message. Do you want to prevent something like this from happening? Then make sure that only followers you follow yourself can tag you. If it still happens that you are tagged in a spam message, you can also remove yourself from it. We will explain how this works later.

1. Open the Instagram app
2. Click bottom right on your profile picture
3. Then select the at the top right hamburger menu
4. Click in the pop up menu on Settings
5. Navigate to the tab Privacy
6. Click on the tab Messages
7. Select under allow tags from the option People you follow or No one

Basically, now only people you know can tag you in posts. However, it is possible that you are tagged in a spam message, for example because you follow an account that has fallen into the hands of a malicious person. If you are tagged in a message: read below how to remove such a tag.

1. Open the Instagram app
2. Click bottom right on your profile picture
3. Navigate to the photos tab where you are tagged
4. Select the photo from which you get the tag would like to remove
5. Click on you own tagyou will then see a pop-up menu
6. Choose Remove me from message to remove the tag

4. Hide your Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories usually contain a lot of personal information. They often show where you are or what you are doing. While only people who follow you can see what you’re up to, you may want to prevent anyone from getting that information. Especially if you have a large group of followers that you don’t know enough, it is important to adjust who can see your stories. This can be done in two ways. On the one hand, you can make all your stories visible to a limited extent. That will mean they won’t be able to see your stories without personal information either. At the same time, you can also send Stories to Best Friends on Instagram. This way, only people who you set this to see the Best Friends stories. Both methods are explained below.

1. Open the Instagram app
2. Click on you at the bottom right profile picture
3. Then select top right the hamburger menu
4. Click in the pop up menu on Settings
5. Navigate to the tab Privacy
6. Then proceed to Story
7. Click there on the option Hide story from
8. Choose the persons what you would like your story for hide

As mentioned before, the above step-by-step plan is intended for the hide completely of Stories for the selected people. Do you want everyone to see the general story, but do you sometimes want to post some personal messages? Then using Best friends recommended. Instead of clicking Hide story from in step 7, click the setting at Best friends† Step 8 is the same for Best Friends as step 8 for Hide Story from.

5. Limit replies to Stories

Let’s stick with the stories of Instagram for a while. The platform lets your followers respond to your Stories. Sometimes it can be a nice option, other times you would rather not have people respond to your story. Especially if you don’t know the person in question, it can sometimes lead to ‘strange or even unwanted’ situations. Fortunately, Instagram lets you close the comments of your Stories so that the followers you don’t follow yourself can’t respond to your posts. You can also close the comment option in the Stories completely, if desired.

1. Open the Instagram app
2. Click on you at the bottom right profile picture
3. Then select top right the hamburger menu
4. Click in the pop up menu on Settings
5. Navigate to the tab Privacy
6. Then proceed to Story
7. Select under Allow replies to chat messages the option Followers you follow yourself or Out

6. Limit Message Requests

Do you know who can send your message (requests) on Instagram? If you haven’t touched the settings yet, anyone can send you a message request. While such message requests don’t get mixed up with regular messages – they end up in a separate tab after all – you don’t want to give the Instagram spammers, malicious parties or stalkers an extra opportunity to present themselves to you. You can completely disable the message requests for people who do not follow you and people who do not follow you. Read below how you can set this up.

1. Open the Instagram app
2. Click on you at the bottom right profile picture
3. Then select top right the hamburger menu
4. Click in the pop up menu on Settings
5. Navigate to the tab chat messages
6. At the top you will find the menu items Your followers on Instagram and Others on Instagram
7. For both groups, choose whether they can send you requests (Message requests) or not (No requests received†

7. Check Connected Services

Strictly speaking, the latter option falls outside the “privacy category” of Instagram settings. Still, it can’t hurt to take a look at which services are linked to your account. Often services get access to a lot of personal data, making it undesirable to leave them connected to your account in the long term. For example, without remembering I had Hootsuite linked to my account. Should a malicious person gain access to this Hootsuite account, that person could “modify”, delete or post a new message.

1. Open the Instagram app
2. Click on you at the bottom right profile picture
3. Then select top right the hamburger menu
4. Click in the pop up menu on Settings
5. Navigate to the tab Security
6. Choose the option there Apps and websites
7. Look below Active if you connected accounts have

Some accounts expire automatically, so you don’t have to delete them. Instagram then ensures that the service loses access to your data. If there are still active accounts connected to your Instagram profile, you can revoke the permission for ‘access to your account’ via the Active tab.