Instagram boosts security features, makes applying for account verification easier

If you want to get your Instagram account verified, it’s now much easier to do so. You can start the process right from your phone. But that doesn’t guarantee your application will be approved, though. But if you want to kick start the process, just head to the Settings page and tap on Request Verification. From there you’ll need to give your account name, full name, and legal or business ID. All these information are necessary to get you a shot at being verified. It’s definitely easier for public figures, brands, or celebrities to get approved or if you meet certain requirements. But there is also an option to reapply down the road if your application gets rejected at first.

Aside from simplifying user verification, you can now also use third-party authenticator apps like Google Authenticator and DUO Mobile to enable two-factor authentication. To further boost authenticity, there is also an About This Account feature that shows you when an account was created, what country the account is located in, ads the account is running, whether the user changed usernames in the past year, and whether it shares followers with other accounts.

Source: BGR

Instagram tries to build virtual communities for college students

Remember how Facebook used to be an online community to connect Harvard students? Well, it seems the social network wants to connect with its past and is extending this to its other social network Instagram. The Facebook-owned company is testing out a feature that will bring college students together into groups. Instagram is inviting select users to join groups for their schools. The social network is able to figure this out based on the accounts they follow, their connections, and public posts. This can be seen as Instagram’s attempt to attract the younger set of users who now refuse to use Facebook.

Those who opt in need to choose their university and graduating year from a set of predetermined choices. Once they’re in, Instagram will show them lists arranged by members’ classes to make it easier to find people from the same year. Public stories are also viewable within the list. There is also access to direct messaging members in the list. Instagram has to develop this further though to make sure creeps don’t make it in. CNBC says one of its reporters got invited to join the community for their alma mater as a current student. Instagram assures that the feature is in its early phases and tools to report inappropriate usage are in place.

Hundreds of Instagram users report falling prey to similar account hack

Screenshot from Chris Woznicki, one of the victims of this new Instagram hack

A bizarre hack seems to be hitting Instagram users this month with users getting logged out and their personal details changed. The users discover their accounts being signed out, their handles and profile photos changed (often to a Disney or Pixar character), bios deleted, and the accounts are now linked to an .ru email address (a Russian domain). Most of the people Mashable talked to did not have two-factor authentication turned on, but one said he had it enabled but it was disabled and his account was still hacked. Aside from changing personal information, the hackers don’t seem to be posting or removing any photos from the accounts. No one seems to be claiming the hack just yet.

The difficulty for those hacked though is that it’s more difficult to get back into their accounts with the changed personal details. And it seems Instagram’s largely automated process of trying to get back into the accounts prove to be inadequate. Abagail Nowak, one of the victims of the hack describes it as a “maze.” She says, “The maze that Instagram sends you on to get your account back is laughable and leads to broken/dead links and emails from robots which lead nowhere.” Instagram hasn’t responded to requests for comments on the hack but we’ll report back when we hear more.

Source: CNET

Go incognito on Instagram by turning this feature off

Want to hide the fact that you’re online on Instagram? You might not have noticed this but Instagram has an Activity Status feature that shows if you’re online. If you’d rather not broadcast to your followers that you’re on the social network, you can easily turn that off. Just head to Settings and then scroll to the Privacy and Security section, and then pick Activity Status menu. There you can toggle the off button for Show Activity Status. Once you do this, the green dot beside your icon will disappear. One thing you need to note though is you won’t be able to see who is active either.

Source: Lifehacker