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Instagram no longer allows people without an account to view photos on computers

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Re: Instagram no longer allows people without an account to view photos on computers

#91
post #71
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disclaimer: no affiliation with IG This sounds like a _very_ unusual experience. Clearly millions (billions?) of people create Instagram accounts with no issues. Why not just create a different account? > If this is how they treat their prospective customers... You certainly aren't a customer, which might explain the lack of priority. :)

There are some situations I have been able to pindown for when Instagram doesn’t like you. Two of which are not linking to a facebook account and using a personal domain (instead of gmail, outlook etc). Also instagram really hates it if the email contains insta@domain in any form or manner. Also you will have to hand over your phone number. No exceptions!

Weird, I created an extra account earlier this year and didn't need to associate a phone number or FB account with it.

Re: Instagram no longer allows people without an account to view photos on computers

#92
post #85
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a photographer, I want security and assurances that my work remains my work and is not easily stolen nor transferable without consent. As a user, I want simplicity and way to view work based on a number of options that I choose. Not based on an algorithm or AI. My choices, my mood, my desires. Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing app. Its a platform for self promotion. Not much different than Twitter, LinkedIn o…

> As a photographer, I want security and assurances that my work remains my work and is not easily stolen nor transferable without consent. I'm curious how you reconcile this with your previous desire for the "old web": paywall? js to interfere with the ability to copy/hotlink images?

User agreements of these entities are onerous and impossible to challenge. They shield the companies in ways you cannot even fathom and allow many to steal your work and use as they please.

Re: Instagram no longer allows people without an account to view photos on computers

#93
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, I think I prefer not having access to something like Pinterest[1] which lets you have some access for a bit and then as soon as you try to interact with the site in any meaningful way (usually to leave it) they insist you sign in. At least with this I know the expectation up front, rather than having it sprung on me by surprise. [1] I've avoided Pinterest for awhile that this may not be the way they attempt…

Instagram does exactly this. You can interact with it's site via browser and open a few links until shows a popup saying you have to login (which you can't close).

Or used to be? What I reported is a change in this behavior. It doesn't allow someone browse those few photos and videos before shows a popup asking for a login.

Re: Instagram no longer allows people without an account to view photos on computers

#94
post #16

I hate these walled apps. Having to log in is maddening. Especially Facebook, especially right now... As a photographer, I have to have some sort of IG presence but I absolutely hate the app, the UX and the whole enchilada. Its the worst viewing experience possible for good photos and yet is the medium of choice for so many... I miss the old web.

my main complaint is watching videos on desktop web or the mobile app - there's no way to control play/pause/scrubbing. you just have to sit through it and if you miss any of it, watch it again from the start. same goes for tiktok i believe. this isn't an issue with the mobile version of the website. anyway, rant over - i hate mobile apps.

I think this is a deliberate decision, although I'm not sure why.

You can download the videos if you're savvy enough to open the dev tools, delete the transparent div, and find the element with the video (which may not be a URL but one of those weird blob: ones). Simples.

Re: Instagram no longer allows people without an account to view photos on computers

#95
post #92
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As a photographer, I want security and assurances that my work remains my work and is not easily stolen nor transferable without consent. I'm curious how you reconcile this with your previous desire for the "old web": paywall? js to interfere with the ability to copy/hotlink images?

User agreements of these entities are onerous and impossible to challenge. They shield the companies in ways you cannot even fathom and allow many to steal your work and use as they please.

Ah, so you're referring to contractual issues (I posted an image and now Instagram's sub-licensing it to everyone a la https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/04/judge-smacks-dow...) rather than technical ones (user can't right-click save-as)?

Makes sense, thanks.

Re: Instagram no longer allows people without an account to view photos on computers

#96
post #23
post #15

Some friends roped me into signing up to Instagram, so I did. I got to the sign in process and "an error occurred". I tried to login and it said "account does not exist", but I tried to re-sign up, and it said "This account already exists". I emailed them for help but they said I had to post a photo of myself holding a pad with my username on it. Which, fair enough, but giving away my face to a faceless corporation i…

Disclaimer: no affiliation with IG This sounds like a _very_ unusual experience. Clearly millions (billions?) of people create Instagram accounts with no issues. Why not just create a different account? > If this is how they treat their prospective customers... You certainly aren't a customer, which might explain the lack of priority. :)

Anecdotally, I was never able to complete signup for Instagram, for similar reasons.

Re: Instagram no longer allows people without an account to view photos on computers

#97
post #15

Some friends roped me into signing up to Instagram, so I did. I got to the sign in process and "an error occurred". I tried to login and it said "account does not exist", but I tried to re-sign up, and it said "This account already exists". I emailed them for help but they said I had to post a photo of myself holding a pad with my username on it. Which, fair enough, but giving away my face to a faceless corporation i…

The same thing happened to me. And I was trying to sign up/log in to Instagram through Facebook. Why am I allowed to log in to and use my Facebook account but not allowed to sign up for Instagram using my Facebook account? If they thought I was a bot or fraudulent user then surely they'd have the same concern about my Facebook account? It doesn't make any sense.

Re: Instagram no longer allows people without an account to view photos on computers

#98

“This is to help people view photos in Instagram and understand how to have the best experience on the platform, be part of the community, connecting and interacting with people and the things they love” How does blocking access help people view things? How does blocking access help people understand how to have the best experience? Access is a better experience than access denied. Creating an account and lurking doe…

If you're in a browser with adblockers and you're not signed in, there's not much they can do to monetize you effectively. I assume this is just a means of forcing people who use instagram in the browser to at least admit who they are so they can tie browsing to a known tracking id.

I'm honestly surprised instagram even lets people use the app in any meaningful way on desktop at all.

Re: Instagram no longer allows people without an account to view photos on computers

#99
post #86
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a photographer, I want security and assurances that my work remains my work and is not easily stolen nor transferable without consent. As a user, I want simplicity and way to view work based on a number of options that I choose. Not based on an algorithm or AI. My choices, my mood, my desires. Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing app. Its a platform for self promotion. Not much different than Twitter, LinkedIn o…

> my work remains my work and is not easily stolen nor transferable without consent I think in general, this is a "hard" problem for an Internet-based service. You would have to include a watermark of some kind, which arguably hinders viewer experience. And regardless, it is still very easy for viewers to capture an image by downloading or taking a screenshot. I do agree with your sentiment about IG though.

Honestly, I dont know the answer. Maybe its blockchain like tracking in the image file? Maybe its something else... There are many technologies available that can fingerprint a file, and others that can ID an image. A service that includes this type of feature would be good. And of course, anyone can screenshot an image, but they cannot resell a screenshot for commercial use.

But in the end the EULA of these apps are designed to shield the entities from liabilities while offering them many options for re-distribution of others work. That's the biggest problem.

Re: Instagram no longer allows people without an account to view photos on computers

#100
post #52

I have not been able to recover my account in about 3 years. Every time I follow the steps to report the issue, I am linked back to the main troubleshooting start page where the process restarts a la Groundhog Day. It was hacked and taken over by a Russian account who subsequently realized I have no friends of consequence and so abandoned it. But every single time I try to go through the official channels to recover…

I am curious how you were able to confirm that "It was hacked and taken over by a Russian account"
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