Instagram to give users more control over personal data shared with third-party apps

As the world screams itself hoarse over the flimsy commitment of social media powerhouses to user privacy and data protection, Instagram prepares to rev up its data privacy structure. The Facebook-owned application is now allowing its users to have more control over personal data that they share with third-parties, courtesy of a feature that will be rolling out within the next six months.

In an announcement made on Tuesday, Instagram declared the release of a new security feature that will go a long way in ensuring the protection of users’ personal information. Currently, users can check up on the third-party apps with which their data is being shared by navigating to Settings > Security > Apps and Websites. With this new feature, users will now be able to restrict the pool of third-party apps that get to access their data.

“It is essential that we protect the data people share with us. We also want to give people more control over the data they share with other apps and services,” the company said.

Additionally, the feature will be accompanied by an “update authorization screen” that will notify users whenever a third-party app is requesting data.

“To ensure you know what specific data third parties are requesting from you, we are also introducing an updated authorization screen that lists all the information the third party is requesting to access. You’ll have the option to “cancel” or “authorize” this access directly from the authorization screen,” the company stated.

Finally, to complete their renewed commitment to user privacy, Instagram is also rolling out a “Restrict” mode that will let users block people posting abusive content or comments. This can be done by either swiping left on the comment, or by directly visiting the profile of the user you intend to block.