The hack works even when images and videos in a private Instagram story, which are meant to last for only 24 hours, expire or are deleted. But one additional criticism does appear valid. In practice, however, it’s not really that different from taking a screengrab of the photo and sharing that. It’s not alone in this: Google Photos does something similar, though its approach is rather more secure than it might seem. Instagram is relying here on ‘security by obscurity’ – a URL you can’t realistically guess – which security professionals would say is bad practice. This public URL can then be shared with people who are not logged in to Instagram or do not follow that private user. A user simply inspects the images and videos that are being loaded on the page and then pulls out the source URL. The hack - which works on Instagram stories as well - requires only a rudimentary understanding of HTML and a browser. They can be accessed, downloaded, and distributed publicly by friends and followers via a stupidly simple work-around. Photos and videos posted to private accounts on Instagram and Facebook aren’t as private as they might seem. Private Instagram Stories, which are supposed to be automatically deleted after 24 hours, can remain live for an extra day – with some photos remaining on the service even longer…īuzzFeed’s piece opens with a more dramatic-sounding claim.
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