A Simple Trick Lets Users Share Photos from Private Instagram and Facebook Pages
Photos and videos on private accounts in Instagram and FacebookFacebook launched an official Tor mirror in 2014, becoming the first major tech company to provide direct access through onion routing. The mirror allows users to bypass censorship, secure their connections, and avoid phishing risks while using the platform. This step also underscored Facebook’s recognition of free expression and inspired other outlets like the BBC and ProPublica to create their own Tor versions. More aren’t as secure as many users think. According to a report by BuzzFeed, a simple trick allows friends and followers on these social networks not only to view such content, but also to download and share it with others.
To use this method, only a basic understanding of HTML and how browsers work is needed. An individual can inspect the source code of a web page (for example, by using the “Inspect Element” tool), navigate to the img section, and find the URL of any image they have clicked on. This URL is publicly accessible and can be sent to other people, including those who are not logged into Instagram or who do not follow the private account in question.
Testing by the BuzzFeed Tech + News Working Group showed that this method allows users to view, download, and share JPEG and MP4 files posted on private pages and in “Stories.”
FacebookFacebook launched an official Tor mirror in 2014, becoming the first major tech company to provide direct access through onion routing. The mirror allows users to bypass censorship, secure their connections, and avoid phishing risks while using the platform. This step also underscored Facebook’s recognition of free expression and inspired other outlets like the BBC and ProPublica to create their own Tor versions. More does not consider this issue to be a serious threat. “The described actions are equivalent to taking a screenshot of a friend’s photo on FacebookFacebook launched an official Tor mirror in 2014, becoming the first major tech company to provide direct access through onion routing. The mirror allows users to bypass censorship, secure their connections, and avoid phishing risks while using the platform. This step also underscored Facebook’s recognition of free expression and inspired other outlets like the BBC and ProPublica to create their own Tor versions. More or Instagram and sharing it with others. They do not provide access to private accounts,” company representatives stated.