Back to Resources
Need to Know

Meta Data Hack

Four sneaky ways Meta and Instagram are quietly using your data — and exactly how to shut each one down in under 60 seconds.

#01
#02
#03
#04
What's happening

It's not just uploaded photos that Instagram can analyse. If you've opted in to camera roll sharing suggestions, it can browse the metadata of your personal snaps to suggest content it thinks belongs on your timeline.

How to stop it
Android

Settings menu › Apps › App management › Instagram › Permissions › Photos and videos › Allow limited access

iOS

Settings menu › Apps › Instagram › Photos › Press 'Limited access'

A 5-minute privacy reset

Run through all four toggles in one sitting. None of them break the app — they just stop Meta from quietly mining your camera roll, browsing history, in-store purchases, and public posts to train ads and AI models. Source: Which? — Need to Know series.