LOOK out for a new alert that will start popping up on Instagram soon.
The Meta-owned app is testing some new tools to step up the fight against hackers and impersonators.
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Instagram has revealed that it will warn you about any accounts that request to follow you if they’re suspected of impersonating someone else.
The firm is also planning alerts for fake businesses that send you a direct message.
That’s expected to land in the coming months.
It’s all part of a huge boost to safety and security on the platform.
Another big area it’s targeting is hacked accounts, which can be an extremely worrying experience.
Instagram has launched a brand new support service for anyone who believes they’ve been hacked and is unable to access their account as a result.
Instagram.com/hacked serves as a “new, comprehensive destination people can rely on to report and resolve account access issues”.
“We know losing access to your Instagram account can be stressful, so we want to ensure people have multiple options to get their accounts back if they lose access,” Instagram explained in a blog post.
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One of the ways that may help is something the company began testing earlier this year.
It allows people to ask their friends to confirm their identity in order to help regain access to their account.
Just choose two Instagram friends to verify your identity and get back in.
Instagram also shared that it is now showing the blue verified badge for verified accounts in more places than before.
Apparently, this is so you can “quickly determine whether the account you are interacting with is authentic”.
The verified badge now appears in Stories and DMs, and will be on the Feed as well soon.
“In addition to new account support and recovery methods, we’re testing ways to help prevent hacking on Instagram before it happens,” the firm explained.
“First, we remove accounts that our automated systems find to be malicious, including ones that impersonate others, which goes against our Community Guidelines.
“Second, because bad actors often don’t immediately use accounts maliciously, we’re now testing sending warnings if an account that we suspect may be impersonating someone requests to follow you.”
So keep a look out for them as they’ll be arriving sometime in the new year.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
