instagram

Australia's #1 for Law
Join 150,000 Australians every month. Ask a question, respond to a question and better understand the law today!
FREE - Join Now
Instagram (commonly abbreviated to IG or Insta) is an American photo and video sharing social networking service owned by Facebook, created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and originally launched on iOS in October 2010. The Android version was released in April 2012, followed by a feature-limited desktop interface in November 2012, a Fire OS app in June 2014, and an app for Windows 10 in October 2016. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can be shared publicly or with pre-approved followers. Users can browse other users' content by tags and locations and view trending content. Users can like photos and follow other users to add their content to a feed, a function that seems to be discontinued as of September 2020.
Instagram was originally distinguished by only allowing content to be framed in a square (1:1) aspect ratio with 640 pixels to match the display width of the iPhone at the time. In 2015, these restrictions were eased with an increase to 1080 pixels. The service also added messaging features, the ability to include multiple images or videos in a single post, and a Stories feature—similar to its main opposition Snapchat—which allows users to post photos and videos to a sequential feed, with each post accessible by others for 24 hours each. As of January 2019, the Stories feature is used by 500 million users daily.After its launch in 2010, Instagram rapidly gained popularity, with one million registered users in two months, 10 million in a year, and 1 billion as of May 2019. In April 2012, Facebook acquired the service for approximately US$1 billion in cash and stock. As of October 2015, over 40 billion photos had been uploaded. Although praised for its influence, Instagram has been the subject of criticism, most notably for policy and interface changes, allegations of censorship, and illegal or improper content uploaded by users.
As of July 2020, the most followed person is footballer Cristiano Ronaldo with over 233 million followers. As of January 14, 2019, the most-liked photo on Instagram is a picture of an egg, posted by the account @world_record_egg, created with the sole purpose of surpassing the previous record of 18 million likes on a Kylie Jenner post. The picture currently has over 54 million likes. Instagram became the 4th most downloaded mobile app of the 2010s.

View More On Wikipedia.org
  1. T

    VIC What are the legal implications if I make a fake Instagram account with my girlfriend's name and try to make a certain guy confess that they had sex?

    Is it illegal if I have gotten his Instagram account from her Instagram by going through her phone?
  2. A

    QLD Help with Inclusions for Parenting Plan and Family Court Orders?

    Hi Everyone, I have been following and reading a number of posts regarding parenting plans / parenting orders/ consent orders as we are very new to this and want to understand the process properly. My partner and his ex have just started the mediation process for developing a parenting plan...
  3. J

    SA Who Owns the Rights to Instagram Photos?

    If a hairdresser takes a photo of their work in the salon they are employed by, and posts it on their personal Instagram, who owns the photo? The salon requested they watermark the photo with the business name so they did.
  4. J

    VIC Trademark Based on a Copyrighted Work - Opinions?

    Could I get an opinion and comments from a lawyer with qualifications in intellectual property law, please? Some time ago, I registered a trademark in Australia. It is a “fancy” kind of trademark. (One famous example of a “fancy” kind of trademark is the Instagram logo.) The design of the...
  5. J

    NSW How to Defend Against an AVO?

    Hoping someone can assist. My son (33) ran into his ex-girlfriend (who he had hoped he would be able to get back together with) - they hung about together all day, she invited him back to her place. They kissed goodbye at 9pm with a brief kiss - he with the hope of rekindling the relationship...
  6. N

    NSW Can Boss Make Me Delete My Instagram Page?

    Hi, I have recently got a new job but I don't start for 4 weeks. Anyway, I'm a hairdresser and I have a hair Instagram page. I was just wondering, I post work that I do in the salon and was not made by my boss. She was okay with it. Now that I'm leaving, can she make me delete it? Or is it...
  7. V

    SA Fake Instagram Account for the Purpose of Slander - Harassment?

    If someone has set up a "fake" Instagram account and has posted screenshots of another person's Facebook page - which is public because of his business, with the purpose of identifying him and his business and slandering him, is this harassment, that is reportable? And is it possible to find out...
  8. V

    QLD Start Up Business - Designs under Intellectual Property Law?

    Hi, My friend and I have been trying to start a T-Shirt business. The business is registered in my friend's name and we have both designed some designs to get printed onto T-Shirts. We have an Instagram page in the business name and were going to advertise there. Now my friend wants to run the...
  9. S.F

    Trademark for Other Countries for my App?

    Hi, I have registered a business in Australia for an app I am developing. I am using that name on social media; facebook, instagram, twitter and pinterest. I didn't trademark the name and searches reveal it is trademarked in Australia and a similar name trademarked in the USA. All in a similar...
  10. 1

    QLD Ex Refusing to Remove Instagram Photos of Me

    What are the legalities and policies surround social media images? My partner and I recently ended things but she refused to take down any images of me off her Instagram. This includes, images of me in my underwear and images of the two of us kissing. I never wanted inapropriate images of me...