Instagram Restricts Developer Access to User Data via API

On April 3, 2018, Instagram unexpectedly limited developers’ access to its API platform, which is used to collect user data. According to a report by TechCrunch, Instagram has not released any official statement, but sources say that last Friday the API access limit was reduced to 200 requests per hour, down from the previous 5,000 requests per hour. For some developers, access to the platform was completely disabled. None of the sources interviewed were warned about these changes in advance.

Impact on Businesses and Applications

As reported by Recode, these restrictions on user data access will negatively affect many businesses, especially those involved in customer support and brand marketing. Due to the new data request limits, companies may not be able to respond promptly to user complaints and feedback. The restrictions have particularly impacted apps like Reports+, which help users analyze their Instagram audience.

Possible Reasons for the Restrictions

TechCrunch suggests that Instagram’s decision may be a response to the recent scandal involving the leak of personal data from tens of millions of Facebook users. Cambridge Analytica obtained data from 50 million Facebook users without their consent and used it to support Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in the United States. Recently, Facebook announced it would prohibit advertisers from using data broker information for targeting posts and would no longer provide these brokers with anonymized user data.