Instagram’s Controversial ‘Following’ Activity Tab Is Now Gone

One of the features Instagram has had for quite a while now is the Following activity tab. Basically, this allows users to see what the people they’re following is up to, which includes likes, follow activity, and even comments. This has been a somewhat controversial feature as it can be used as a tool to spy on others.

The good news is that in a bid to improve on privacy, it seems that Instagram has since removed the feature. The feature had previously launched back in 2011 and it’s surprising that it took Instagram this long to remove it, despite there having been many horror stories about the past where people have been called out for their Instagram activity.

According to a comment made by Vishal Shah, Instagram’s head of product, he told BuzzFeed News that the reason for removing it was because it was an underused feature. “People didn’t always know that their activity is surfacing. So you have a case where it’s not serving the use case you built it for, but it’s also causing people to be surprised when their activity is showing up.”

Either way, it’s good news for people who aren’t comfortable with other people checking on their activity through the Following tab, and also good for overall privacy.

Tyler Lee
Categories: General
Tags: Instagram, Privacy