feInstagram Putting The Kibosh On Many Third-Party Apps In Wake Of Password Thefts

1 1 1 1 1

Instagram is tightening its grip on which unofficial apps it will suffer to live, after it was revealed that one third-party app was harvesting users’ passwords.

The social media service announced major revisions to its API policy yesterday, which means insta-death for a slew of Instagram-viewing apps and sets down strict rules for apps that survive the kill-off.

Instagram says the changes are being made “to improve people’s control over their content and set up a more sustainable environment built around authentic experiences on the platform.”

As of Tuesday, Instagram won’t be taking applications from new apps that want to integrate with it. And when it finally does open the doors to applications again in December, it will only allow apps to do certain things: photo-editing is cool, for example, as are services that pull from photos you’ve posted yourself. Want to print your Instagram photo or import as a profile picture? Apps that help you with that are also copacetic.

But any apps that pull in a full Instagram feed will not be allowed. Any apps already on the market have until June 1 to comply with the new policies, and will be subject to a new review process.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist