Many Instagram users have noticed that when they first sign up for an account, Instagram seems to already have some of their contacts in its suggested followers list. This can seem a bit creepy and make people wonder how Instagram could possibly know who your friends and contacts are before you’ve ever uploaded your contacts or done anything on the app. There are a few potential ways this could happen.
Option 1: Accessing Your Contact List
One possibility is that Instagram accesses your contact list on your phone in order to make friend suggestions. When you first sign up for Instagram, you are prompted to allow access to your contacts. If you allow this, Instagram can pull the list of names, phone numbers, and email addresses stored in your contacts and match it against existing Instagram users to make follower suggestions.
However, Instagram claims they do not actually access your contacts without your permission. Their help pages state: “We’ll ask for permission to access your contacts to make friend suggestions, but we won’t access your contacts without your permission.”
Option 2: Matching Your Emails and Phone Numbers
Even if you don’t allow Instagram access to your full contact list, when you create your account you still provide your email address and phone number. Instagram likely checks new email addresses and phone numbers against their existing user data.
For example, if you sign up with the email address [email protected], and Instagram sees that your friend Jane has [email protected] listed in her contacts, they can match your new account to Jane and suggest you follow each other.
Option 3: Accessing Your Contact Data from Facebook
Instagram is owned by Facebook, and many people use the same email or phone number across both accounts. When you create an Instagram account, they can access the contact information you’ve provided on Facebook to look for matches among Instagram users.
Facebook’s help pages state: “Facebook may use information about you such as current city from your profile, networks you’re part of, friend lists, and contacts you’ve uploaded to make recommendations for you and others.” So if you’ve uploaded contacts to Facebook, those can be shared with Instagram as well.
Option 4: Tracking Social Connections Across Platforms
Facebook and Instagram may also identify social connections between users across different platforms and services. For example, if you connect your Instagram account to Facebook, Twitter, or other services, it can see who you are connected to on those platforms and suggest those contacts to follow on Instagram as well.
How Contacts Can Be Accessed
There are a few technical methods through which Instagram and Facebook can potentially access your contact data:
Contacts Permission on Mobile Devices
As mentioned above, when you first sign up for Instagram on your smartphone, you are prompted to allow access to your contacts. If you click “Allow”, this gives Instagram permission to access your full contact list which may include names, phone numbers, emails, addresses, and even notes.
Shadow Profiles
Facebook and Instagram may create “shadow profiles” of non-users based on information they receive from friends and connections. So even if you haven’t joined Instagram yet, they may already have profile information like your phone number, email, name, etc.
Data Brokers and Marketing Firms
Instagram and Facebook pay third-party data brokers for access to contact information, marketing lists, public records, and other sources of user data. These extensive databases can be used to identify social connections between people.
Facial Recognition Technology
Facebook uses facial recognition technology to identify people in photos. When you join Instagram, it can match your selfies to photos of you already on Facebook to make connections.
| Method | What Data is Accessible |
|---|---|
| Contacts Permission on Mobile | Full contact list |
| Shadow Profiles | Name, phone, email |
| Data Brokers | Contact lists, marketing data |
| Facial Recognition | Profile photos |
How to Limit Contact Access
If you’re uncomfortable with Instagram accessing your contacts, there are a few things you can do:
Don’t Allow Contacts Permission
When you first sign up for Instagram on your smartphone, do not allow access when prompted for contacts permission. Say no to allowing Instagram to access your contacts.
Remove Existing Permissions
If you already allowed contact access on mobile devices, you can remove this permission by going into your settings. On iOS, go to Settings > Instagram > Contacts. On Android, go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Instagram > Permissions > Contacts.
Unlink Facebook Contacts
Go to your Facebook account settings and remove any uploaded contacts under “How people can find and contact you.” You can also unlink Instagram from Facebook in your Instagram settings.
Make Your Contacts Private
On many smartphones, you can hide your contacts from apps accessing your contact list. On iOS, go to Settings > Contacts > Share Contacts and switch off sharing. On Android, go to Contacts > Three Dots Menu > Contacts to Display and choose “My Contacts.”
Use Different Contact Information
When signing up for Instagram, provide an email address and phone number that you don’t use anywhere else or aren’t associated with your real identity. However, this may limit Instagram’s usefulness.
The Tradeoff Between Utility and Privacy
Instagram’s access to your contacts does raise privacy concerns for many users. However, it also provides functionality that many people enjoy, such as seeing which of your friends are already on Instagram and easily following them. There is a tradeoff here between privacy and the utility gained from sharing contact information.
Some key points on both sides of this issue:
Benefits of Sharing Contacts
- Find friends easily when joining Instagram
- Gets personalized recommendations for accounts to follow
- Discover content based on friends’ interests and activity
Risks of Sharing Contacts
- Instagram gains very personal data
- Possible security risks if data is misused
- Lose control over who has access to your contacts
Ultimately it comes down to your personal privacy preferences. But Instagram does provide options to limit contact sharing for those concerned about it.
Conclusion
Instagram has a few methods of accessing your contact information when you join the platform. This includes getting direct contacts permission on mobile, linking Facebook contacts, creating shadow profiles, and using data brokers. However, Instagram claims they will not actually access your full contacts without permission.
If you’re uncomfortable with Instagram having your contacts, you can restrict access through your settings on both Instagram and Facebook. But this may limit some useful features. There is an inherent tradeoff here between the benefit of personalized recommendations versus potential privacy risks. Being aware of how Instagram uses your data can help inform what permissions you choose to grant when signing up.