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Instagram introduced new authenticity measures on its platform to segregate accounts of real people from bots and other accounts trying to mislead people.
“By prompting the people behind accounts to confirm their information, we will be able to better understand when accounts are attempting to mislead their followers, hold them accountable, and keep our community safe,” Instagram said in blog post.
The Facebook-owned company said it is going to ask people to verify when it notices a pattern of “potential inauthentic behaviour.” It further explained that the verification process will apply to a small number of accounts on its platform.
The new measures will screen accounts, including the ones with a large number of followers from a different country to the account holder’s location; in case of signs of automation, like bot accounts; and accounts potentially engaged in coordinated inauthentic behaviour.
Facebook recently released a detailed report about the accounts removed on account of coordinated inauthentic behaviour, in July. It included over 250 Instagram accounts from different countries.
Instagram accounts, upon verification, will resume normal functionality. However, accounts which do not verify their content may receive reduced distribution, or the account may be disabled after notifying the account holder, said the company.
IDs received for verification purpose will be deleted within 30 days after the review and will not be shared, it added.
Details about the identity verification process, and the types of IDs, can be accessed by Instagram account holders, under the help section on the platform.
