Blog: Instagram Shenanigans Again!?

Instagram has now started asking some users to validate their identity with photo ID. The move is in line with a verified account initiative pursued byInstagram’s parent company Facebook since February last year. This wave of ID checks was made possible in part by Instgram’s policy changes of recent fame, that went live on the 19th. Many of the platforms 90 million active users are confused after being locked out of their accounts over the weekend, and several seem to believe they’ve been hacked. Although a spokesmen for the company has confirmed that the requests for photo ID validation are genuine, explaining that they are in “response to suspected violations of Instagram‘s terms of service. “

What should be also be noted about Instagram’s new terms of service is that they have several additional bits of language that specifically give it the power to suspend a user’s account at will.

You know that fine print none of us ever read?

The ID checks are apparently being rolled out to users who are suspected of certain TOS violations. Although the exact terms that are being violated are not presented to the users who have had their accounts suspended. Likely, this is about spam or users younger than 13, who are not allowed on the site.

The popular photo-sharing service claims to be pursuing people whose usernames appear to be real names. When Facebook began its push for verified accounts, it confirmed that it was initially targeting those with “a large number of subscribers,” but has since extended the program to cover “regular”Facebook users. More frustrating still for some users, not all IDs have been accepted, leading Facebook and Instagram to send follow-up emails asking users to provide more documentation, including their birth certificates, if necessary. HARSH!

 The immense popularity of these sites across the world has brought out a negative element that figured out ways to abuse their platform and we understand it is for our own protection. But the number of regular users that are being caught in the cross fire, is also immense. While every time there is any forms of policy changes, it’s immediately followed with the blogosphereblowing up with people who claim to have deactivated their accounts. Wether that’s true or a permanent decision is a whole other story.

As an established & growing, well-respected Los Angeles Social Media Marketing Agency, WeShareMedia is in charge of numerous accounts and all of us go to great lengths to keep those accounts in their grandiose standings, that we worked to achieve.