Instagram has been one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. Despite the entertainment it brings, it is also one of the go-to apps for stalkers.
For this reason, Instagram users must secure their accounts to protect themselves from these suspicious people.
How to Know If You Have an Instagram Stalker?
For those who do not know if they have an Instagram Stalker, Alphr has shared several ways to confirm if someone is stalking them.
Instagram Stories
The Facebook-owned social media, Instagram, has released a feature in 2016 where people can post a video or an image content that expires after 24 hourss, per Tech Crunch.
For this reason, several stalkers have been using this feature to stalk people since it can be shared publicly.
To know who viewed an Instagram Story, IG account owners must swipe up in the posted content. After swiping up, the username of everyone who viewed the story will appear on the screen. While this has not been proven yet, some people assume that the order in which names appear shows how many times they have seen the content. However, Instagram has not released a statement confirming this speculation.
In addition to this, people can catch their Instagram stalkers through a simple method.
- People must post content and hide it from everyone else on the IG list.
- Before tapping the "Post" icon, head to the "Instagram Story" settings and tap the "Hide Story From" option.
- In the said option, select everyone on the list aside from the person of interest.
This method would allow IG owners to identify who constantly view their story as well as know the suspicious accounts who might be stalking them.
Third-Party Apps
There are several third-party applications, websites, browser extensions that let people know who viewed their profile. Many of these are effective but others require access to your personal data.
Even though there may be some legitimate resources available, users should be aware of the risks associated and they must read the reviews and conduct some research on the developer.
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2 Ways to Protect Your IG Account From Stalkers
Once a person found out that they have been stalked, Indian Express has shared in detail the process to protect their IG account from Instagram Stalkers.
Keep the Account Private
People must change the privacy settings of their Instagram account from public to private. This only means that stalkers will not be able to access posted content once it was changed to private. Aside from this, account owners will be notified once a person follows them.
- Head to the "Instagram" app.
- From the app, head to the profile by tapping on the symbol with the account owner's display photo in the lower-right corner.
- Once tapped, choose the hamburger icon located on the top right corner then tap the "Settings" option at the bottom.
- In the settings tab, select the "Privacy and security" tab then tap the "Account Privacy" option.
- Lastly, toggle on the "Privacy account" setting.
Once the account is private, only the existing and new followers will be able to read the posts and stories.
Blocking Unwanted Followers
By blocking unwanted followers, stalkers can no longer observe user activity. This also makes it more difficult for them to find the account stalked on the site.
- Head to the "Instagram" app.
- In the search bar, search the account that a person wishes to be blocked.
- For Android devices, users must tap the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the device. While for the iOS users, tap the three horizontal dots next to their name.
- Once tapped, choose the "Block this user" option.
