With New Features, Instagram Bats for Greater User Accountability

Instagram is now allowing more users to apply for the blue badge, which is a mark of authenticity.

Instagram is now allowing more people to apply for 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 any other entity.

In its bid to fight fake news and keep notorious social media actors away, the photo-messaging app 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.

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."

Users will then be able to see the date on which the account was activated, the country where the account is located, accounts with shared followers, any user name changes in the last year along with ads the account is currently running, if any.

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

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 the platform.

You will soon be able to use third-party authenticator apps to log into your Instagram account. Support for third-party authenticator apps has begun to roll out and will be available to the global community in the coming weeks

Mike Krieger, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Instagram

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.