Instagram plays with a read-only mode for Plus subscribers
It’s a nicer name than “stalker mode.”
Instagram is internally developing a possible new feature that appears tailor-made to enable harmful behavior. Leaker and reverse engineer Alessando Paluzzi published on X the discovery of an Instagram feature presented as “read-only mode”. According to the screenshots discovered, this option allows for a session where “you cannot like, comment, message, follow or view stories” on the social network, which would allow a user to browse the platform without leaving any written record of what they were watching. This appears to be a concept for Instagram Plus accounts based on the images shared.
An Instagram spokesperson told Woozad that read-only mode “is an internal exploration only, without any external testing.” This feature is therefore far from being launched if it ever does, and technology platforms will regularly test features that will never see the light of day for users. But it also does not suggest whether there is internal recognition that this type of reduced visibility could be used for stalking or other criminal purposes. Hopefully the team can sufficiently address these security concerns before any external testing or potential launch.
