stop following every f*cking account on insta

Everyone knows them: annoying Insta-bots that follow your account or even make a follow request for your private acc.

I hope that only a few of you are stupid enough to click on the infamous "links in bio" of these bots.

Maybe you are uncomfortable with the bots with often very questionable links and block them. Who wants weird looking insta accounts as followers. Accs with not really child-friendly profile pictures?

But what is this little blog entry really about?

It's about accounts that are either bots but don't really have that typical "bot-account" look. Or accounts that are created by real people.

Now, what's the problem?

The problem starts when you follow this account. Let's say such an account follows you and you follow back (because it's just friendly). Now this account has a suuuper weak password (I hope for you that yours is better) and gets hacked. Or the acc is really just a bot.

This account now tries to write to you and all kinds of people via DM with links (which you better don't open, unless you want to know how malware feels or how it feels when your insta is taken over). You will (hopefully) not fall for this scam, because you have a certain skepticism towards this account (would be nice if you have).

But what about your friends/followers? They will probably also be contacted, distrust this account at first, but will then see that you are following this account.

Most will probably conclude from this: This account is legitimate because my friend XYZ follows it. So I can trust the DMs with links. Certainly not everyone will think so, but the risk is still there.

In a way, this thinking is also okay: It is a kind of "web of trust". You trust X because Y trusts X and you already trust Y. But the problem is when you make this assumption, i.e. that Y trusts X, but Y in fact follows X only because X follows Y.

(I know this sounds a bit complicated, but I have faith in your imagination. Don't disappoint me!)

This deffizit in the view of trust can lead to your friends getting hacked. And probably you too.

Therefore, stop following every f*cking account on insta just because it follows you. Only if you are sure that behind the account there is a real person you can trust (for example a friend) you should follow him. Yes, I know that doesn't sound very realistic. And Yep, you're right, so let's reduce it to the following:

Follow the accounts which are already followed by several friends of yours or accounts which seem quite real (posts, followers, but not too suspiciously high number of followed people

Byyyyyyeeeee

🙏Valentin