Instagram faces lawsuit for biometric security issues
Last year, the social networking site offered to cover $650 million in total damages to settle a suit filed against it by a privacy and security advocacy group over alleged illegal harvesting of biometric information by a photo-tags tool available on its social network. While most privacy advocates agree that the use of such a tool is not without good intentions, they argue that the resulting mass data capture was too large to be limited to an individual user's profile photo. This is the core of the Instagram face lawsuit.
The social networking site Instagram faces lawsuit over-harvesting biometric data of users of the site. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is suing the company on behalf of one user, identified in court papers only as "John Doe." Doe claims he has a right to privacy and that the company's harvesting of his biometric information without consent violated his constitutional rights.
Instagram is a social networking site that allows users to share photos and videos on the site with other members. Also, users can post comments and interact with others through social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. However, the website's use of "extended bio" tags requires users to complete and submit a form requesting permission to enter their email addresses and physical contact information. In exchange for doing so, users agree to allow Instagram to automatically contact them if their information is requested. People also buy Instagram likes to get a wider reach. It is also important for a start up group.
The Claim
The lawsuit claims that by collecting the email addresses of users and using this information to sell advertising, Instagram violates federal privacy and anti-spam laws. According to the complaint, one user, identified in court documents only as "BK," consented to the collection of his email address and was later contacted by Instagram's marketing department. BK said that he had no idea that his email address would be used for marketing purposes.
The suit further says that Instagram took steps to erase BK's email address. Still, it did not take steps to notify BK that his email address would be used for marketing purposes. BK said that he never agreed to the use of his email address for marketing purposes and is entitled to damages for breach of contract.
Instagram's privacy policy does not clearly define what "collecting email addresses" means. Instagram gave no clear reply on it. The lawsuit also does not provide any evidence to support claims that Instagram's use of email addresses was intended to profit the company, and there is no evidence that users were notified that their email addresses were being collected.
In an email to Wired, Instagram said it is not able to comment on pending litigation. In the past, the company has declined to discuss its data collection practices. However, a company representative told Business Insider that the company follows all applicable laws and regulations in the countries where they operate.
Response
In response to the lawsuit, Instagram has also taken steps to ensure that users are notified of the company's policies on collecting, handling, and protecting their biometric data. It has also stated that it has taken steps to ensure that its data collection practices do not violate the rights of its users.
Instagram’s message For the Users
Users may also be able to seek legal help from a legal team that is specifically trained to deal with facial recognition lawsuits. If you are not represented, it may be in your best interest to hire a private firm that specializes in this area to handle your case
As far as we know, Instagram has not responded to the lawsuit but is still offering a solution for those who are unable to continue using its photo-tags. The company's website states that the new "account privacy settings" option will be released this spring, allowing users of its existing platform to opt-out of having their personal information harvested from their photos.
Learn Some Security measures
However, those users who want to keep their personal data private will have to learn how to bypass Instagram controls. The best way to do so, according to some security experts, is to "hack into" the photo-tags tool itself. "If you're smart, you'll use a code or password to prevent the harvesting altogether," says one security researcher who spoke to Threat post on condition of anonymity.
According to another expert, it is unlikely that Instagram can stop people from accessing photos they have tagged themselves in. When people tag themselves then Hackers can also track the users Instagram account easily. The most important thing that users need to know is that this is likely to happen more than once if you use your account to tag someone else.
In a blog post last year, Instagram defended its use of photo-tags, saying it is designed to help people stay connected with their friends and families. When a person uses this photo to tag a friend in their post, it is simple for others to see what a photo means and how it's being used by that person."
Quote From Instagram
As said by Instagram "We've always taken our privacy and security very seriously and we'll continue to do so,”.”However, if you have any questions about what's going on with your photo-tags or feel as though you have been a victim of a breach of our policies, we encourage you to contact us. We may be able to answer some of your questions or explain our approach in greater detail."
Definitely Instagram is in negative light due to the recent lawsuit filed. It has coasted the reputation of Instagram. But no doubt that Instagram is one of the best social media platforms and has help building brand over a long time. Users are hoping that Instagram will solve the issues fast and things will be normal again. Instagram should make fast changes in its security policy to build back trust.
