7 things you should never do on Instagram

Are you an intensive user of Instagram? Or are you one of those who use the social network seasonally? Regardless of which user group you are in, you may be making typical beginner mistakes. Some are inexperienced, others are confident.

You already know that Instagram, like any social network, has its policies and rules of coexistence. But there are also unwritten rules of things you should never do if you want Instagram not to become a headache.Take a look at this series of suggestions.

Share sensitive content with anyone

Many use the temporary photo or video function as these “self-destruct” and do not allow the content to remain visible. It's as easy as checking “View only once” and you can rest assured that the content you sent will not be available after the first viewing.

However, this extra security can work only if you share this type of content with your friends. But if you think you can share sensitive content with anyone because this feature protects you, you're in trouble.

Anyone could take a screenshot or photo of the content if they wanted to. Although Instagram will notify you when they take a screenshot of your photos or videos, it won't stop the other person's intentions.

Use Instagram default settings

Instagram has tons of options to set up your account. These allow to personalize the experience on the platform and maintain a degree of privacy and security.

So create your own space, with your rules. That is, you can decide who and when will be able to interact with you, or what kind of information you will allow to be public or keep private. Take a look at your account Settings and customize the dynamics of Instagram to your style.

You have different sections with multiple options, ranging from notifications, interactions, connections to the content you share on Instagram.

Use the same password on Instagram as in other apps

This is a classic. Many are careful with the passwords for their emails and bank accounts, but neglect those that belong to social networks and the dozens of apps they use on their devices.They think that using the same password is an advantage, but they don't consider the dangers.

If you use the same password for A, B, C…. and Z, when some of those services or apps are compromised, your "master password" will be available to the attackers. And it won't take you any time to cross-reference the data and see what other victim accounts can hack using the same login credentials.

In fact, the 500,000 ZOOM user accounts exposed in recent days were not due to a hack in that service, but rather were the result of crossing data with hacks from previous services. And yes, the bad habit of using the same password for everything made it easier for attackers.

So use a unique password for Instagram. You can use apps like LastPass, which suggests strong passwords and offers options to save them to a free account.

Participate in questionable sweepstakes or contests

“Free iPhones for the first ones…”, “International raffle of 1000 dollars in PayPal” or “We raffle 11 iPhones…”. You've probably seen these types of posts more times than you can remember.

And if you take a look at the requirements to participate in these raffles you will find conditions such as "Follow all the accounts on this list and like the first 3 posts", or "Upload X photo to your story and mention 5 friends…”.

Maybe you think it's okay to participate, but without realizing it you can end up a victim of the famous Instagram scams. How can you identify when these giveaways are legitimate or a scam? We explain it to you in detail in the video:

So before you innocently follow every giveaway that comes across your Instagram feed, test their credibility.

Neglect logins

Do you leave Instagram sessions open on different devices? Or do you give access to too many third-party apps to your Instagram account?

It is not only important that you use Instagram options to protect your privacy and give your account extra security, you should also pay attention to your habits.

Make sure to log out of the app every time you use Instagram from a device you don't use often.

To do this, go to Settings >> Security >> Login Activity. You'll see a list of all the devices you're signed in to. If you have not used a certain device that is on the list for a long time, then select the three dots menu to log out. This way, you can monitor any suspicious logins.

Connect to Instagram only apps you need

There are many applications designed to improve some aspect of Instagram or that offer some extra function. And for that, they need permissions to access your account. Some you will find useful, but you will surely end up forgetting most of them.

So take a look at connected apps from your account settings and revoke the permissions.

Two-factor authentication

If you know how to use it properly, this method can give your account extra security, as it can alert you when your account is logged in from an unknown device. You will find this option in Settings >> Security >> Two-step authentication

Share private data

Sharing private data on any social network can cause you more than one problem. I know, Instagram can seem harmless between food photos, the publications of our favorite artists and the crazy things of our friends.

But that living room feeling doesn't apply when it comes to private data. Our private information, like everything published on the internet, always has more reach than we think.

Our telephone number, address, locations, when and where our life takes place generates a database that can be exploited by people with bad intentions. Risks can range from stranger harassment to identity theft.

So think twice before sharing sensitive data on the internet or use some of the options provided by Instagram to protect your privacy and that your personal information is only visible to the people you trust.

Tolerate bullying

You shouldn't allow this in any area of your life, including Instagram. You may not know it, but Instagram has several options to protect yourself and stop bullying.

You can block or report an account This action is performed from the same user profile. You just have to display the menu with the three dots and choose the corresponding option. Once you block him, he will no longer be able to view your profile and posts.
Restrict stalker profile Unlike the previous options, the stalker will still be able to see your posts and even leave comments, but they will not be visible. That is, neither you nor the rest of Instagram users will see your comments.
You can use Instagram's privacy settings to determine who can see your posts or stories, mention you, or include you in hashtags.