Instagram has kicked a marketing startup off its platform after determining it improperly collected user data.
The Facebook-owned social network sent Hyp3r took the action after finding the startup scraped public data such as users' physical locations, profile information and photos to serve better targeted ads.
Instagram sent a cease-and-desist letter to the San Francisco-based company on Wednesday after learning of the activity from Business Insider, which reported on the data collection earlier.
Information collected by Hyp3r included data stored in Instagram Stories, content designed to disappear after 24 hours and not available through the company's API.
"Hyp3r's actions were not sanctioned and violate our policies," an Instagram spokesperson said.
We've also made a product change that should help prevent other companies from scraping public location pages in this way."
Here are the four most common statements our company hears from clients when they call to discuss a rebrand:
“I received a cease and desist letter.
The successful rebrand, to eBay, helped AuctionWeb become a global giant.
Whatever your specific reason, consider these points if you want a painless and successful transition.
Make Sure Your Team Is On the Same Page
A company is a cohesive unit, and the broader team, customer base and other stakeholders must be considered before moving ahead with a rebrand.
