Instagram eliminates “Followers”: move against spies

Since Monday, Instagram has begun to eliminate the "Followers" tab in its application. So it will no longer be possible to "spy" likes and comments of those we follow

Instagram changes again by removing a feature that almost no one will miss, spies aside. Starting Monday, gradually, more and more users will no longer see the "Followers" tab in the profile of the accounts they follow. To be clear, it's that section of the app accessed by clicking on the heart icon in the bottom bar.

The move was explained by spokespeople for the image-based social as a normal change, an evolution of the app to adapt to the use that users make of the service. Since, according to Instagram, the feature was used very little so might as well remove it. In reality, however, there is also an advantage for privacy: removing the "Followers" is no longer possible to know who are the people who follow, and with whom interacts, a particular profile. It is no longer possible, therefore, to "spy" on the behavior of a profile that we follow and this can be very positive to protect the privacy of Instagram users.

Instagram removes the "Followers": here's why

The "Followers" tab was introduced in 2011 by Instagram, with the aim of helping new users to find new interesting profiles to follow. The principle was simple: I'm interested in this profile, maybe I'll be interested in the ones he follows too. "We're constantly working to make Instagram the best place to connect you with the people and things you love. That means both adding new features and removing old ones that are no longer useful," an Instagram spokesperson explained. According to the social, therefore, "Followers" are now useless.

You can no longer spy on profiles

The flip side of the coin, positive, is the fact that now no one will be able to know who we are following on Instagram. And since Instagram is now a universal social, on which many people also post excerpts of their personal lives and connect with people they know even in their offline lives, this can all help protect our privacy.

More security against phishing

The removal of the "Followers" tab isn't the only recent change on Instagram: last week, the "Email from Instagram" feature was introduced to help protect users' accounts. In settings, people can now find emails sent from Instagram in the last 14 days. This can help us identify a phishing attempt on the fly: if we receive an email from a sender posing as Instagram, but that message isn't there in "Email from Instagram," then it's definitely a scam attempt.