Instagram new “Data Download” tool urges WhatsApp to follow suit. The dominant image sharing social network with over 800 million users has finally started to roll out its about 2 weeks ago announced “Data Download” feature that can be accessed through the app’s privacy settings.
This newly announced feature lets users export their photos, videos, archived Stories, profile, info, comments, and non-ephemeral messages. But before getting you to use this feature, let me make it clear that it can take a few hours to days for your desired download to be ready for you.
Now it is confirmed through an Instagram spokesperson that “the Data Download tool is currently accessible to everyone on the web, but access via iOS and Android is still rolling out.”
The download would contain your profile info, photos, videos, archived Stories posted after December 2017, as well as your post and story captions, alongside your uploaded contacts.
The download will come up with user names of your followers and people you follow, alongside Direct messages, non-ephemeral Direct message photos and videos, as well as comments, Likes, searches, and settings.
Must Read: A new major update by WhatsApp is coming soon
Launch of the tool is a reasonable concession and is necessary for Instagram to comply with the data portability rule in European Union’s GDPR privacy law that goes into effect on 25th of May.
Following Instagram, WhatsApp has also announced recently that it will be rolling out a Data Download tool to all of its users around the globe. With Data Download tool of WhatsApp users will be able to export their “account info” including their profile photo and group names. However, exporting of the messages which can be exported or backed up by some phones, is not announced by the platform.
WhatsApp is a platform that is on the way to increase the minimum age to use its app from 13 to 16 in Europe (though it will stay 13 everywhere else in the world).
WhatsApp has also set up a business entity for operating in Europe, and the platform has clarified that it doesn’t share user data with Facebook though it hopes to share it in case the regulators let it do this job in the future.
WhatsApp shares security and anti-spam data to block bad actors on Facebook and WhatsApp.
