New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. Science & Tech
12 February 2018

Insta-peeking: How people sneak, stalk, and spy on Instagram stories

Users confess how they get around Instagram’s “Seen by” feature.

By Amelia Tait

You’ll always remember where you were when you found out that people can tell if you’ve watched their Instagram Stories.

Since 2016, Instagram has allowed users to collate pictures and videos into a cohesive “Story” that is visible on the app for 24 hours. When someone posts a Story, they can then swipe up to see a list of people who’ve watched it, frame-by-frame. You can see if someone looked at the first picture in your story but didn’t bother with the rest, and you can see if someone else decided to watch all 18 separate videos of your Valentine’s dinner.  

Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month
Content from our partners
Artificial intelligence and energy security
Radioactive waste: Britain's challenge
Wayne Robertson: "The science is clear on the need for carbon capture"
Topics in this article : ,