Bangkok Post:[2] Instagram is being investigated regarding alleged illegal processing of children’s personal information, by the Irish privacy watchdog which is the EU’s lead authority on Facebook.
[3] The Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) is investigating whether Instagram’s parent company Facebook was illegally processing the data of children who chose to switch from personal accounts to business accounts, thus publishing their contact details.[4] Until last year Instagram required business accounts to make their contact information public. Facebook says it made it clear to those accounts that this information would be public, although it is now optional for business accounts on Instagram whether they share any contact details.[5] “The DPC has been actively monitoring complaints received from individuals in this area and has identified potential concerns in relation to the processing of children’s personal data on Instagram which require further examination,” it said in a statement.[6] If the social media company is found to have violated European privacy regulations then it could face a fine of up to 4% of its global turnover, although a fine of that scale has never been issued.Back in 2019, data scientist David Stier found that millions of personal accounts on Instagram which had been switched to business accounts were publicising their contact details.

Mr Stier reported to Facebook his discovery that accounts apparently belonging to minors were showing the children’s phone numbers and their email addresses.