Enough with taking screenshots of Instagram posts to save them — the app now offers a handy archival process akin to Twitter and Facebook that lets users get a hold of their photos, user information, and other pertinent data if so they choose.
Under the "Privacy and Security" tab, there's now a new "Data Download" option that allows users to receive an archive of everything they've ever shared on the platform. That includes photos, videos, archived Stories, profile, info, comments, usernames, likes, searches, captions, and messages.
The process may have been inspired by a similar feature on Facebook, which quite likely given that Facebook owns Instagram. Also, the move comes amid intense scrutiny over Facebook's failure to disclose data malpractice on its platform, particularly the Cambridge Analytica fiasco. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently took to U.S. Congress to clarify Facebook's stance on privacy.
How To Download Your Instagram Data
To start, head on over to the app's privacy settings menu and search for the Data Download feature. Keep in mind that as of writing, the tool is only available on the web version of Instagram, so make sure to access it on Instagram's website.
Submit your email and you're good to go. The company says it might take up to 48 hours to collect everything and have it ready to download. It should also be noted that once the link is ready, it'll only be valid for four days, so make sure to download it immediately. Otherwise users have to make a request again.
iOS and Android implementation of the feature is still being rolled out, reports TechCrunch.
The tool was made available to comply with the European Union's GDPR privacy law that goes into effect on May 25. It will require tech companies to be more transparent with how they use people's data, particularly European consumers, regardless if those companies are based outside Europe. Another part of the law requires platforms to provide users the option to download all their data, which is what Instagram is doing.
Not just Instagram, though.
WhatsApp Is Also Launching A Download Tool
WhatsApp has just announced that it'll also launch a Data Download tool to all users with the next app update to comply with the GDPR law. WhatsApp users will be given the option to download all their information, including profiles, group names, but not all messages.
