Instagram makes it easier to verify authenticity of accounts

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In its bid to fight fake news and keep bad actors away from the platform, photo-messaging app Instagram has announced a few measures that can help its one billion users identify the authenticity of accounts with a large following.

The Facebook-owned platform announced that it would roll out an "About This Account" tool to provide more information, including location, about accounts that reach a large audience. 

Moreover, Instagram is now also allowing more people to request the blue verified badge which is an important way for users to know that the account they are interacting with is the authentic presence of a notable public figure, celebrity, global brand or entity. 

"Today we are enabling a new way for accounts that reach large audiences and meet our criteria to request verification through a form within the Instagram app," Mike Krieger, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Instagram, wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. 

"To be verified, an account must comply with Instagram's Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. We will review verification requests to confirm the authenticity, uniqueness, completeness and notability of each account," Krieger added. 

To learn more about an account, one can also use the "About This Account" tool. To use this feature, one needs to go to their Profile, tap the menu and then select "About This Account." 

There, users will see the date the account joined Instagram, the country where the account is located, accounts with shared followers, any user name changes in the last year and any ads the account is currently running.

"In September, people who have accounts that reach large audiences can review the information about their accounts that will soon be publicly available. After that, the "About This Account" tool will be available to the global community," Krieger said. 

In addition to these features, Instagram also announced an improved form of two-factor authentication that aims to make it easier and safer for users to securely log into Instagram.

"You will soon be able to use third-party authenticator apps to log into your Instagram account," Krieger said. 

To use a third-party app to log into your Instagram account, go to your profile, tap the menu icon, select "Settings" at the bottom and then choose "Two-Factor Authentication" and select "Authentication App" as your preferred form of authentication. 

Users need to install an authentication app (if they have not already) and return to Instagram to continue setting up their two-factor authentication.

"Support for third-party authenticator apps has begun to roll out and will be available to the global community in the coming weeks," Krieger said.