The
company termed the reports of private data being leaked as
'inaccurate' and acknowledged that 'a particular database for limited
influencers was inadvertently exposed for approximately 72 hours'.
Mumbai-based
Chtrbox,
which was allegedly responsible for leaking data of millions of
Instagram users, has said database for a limited number of
influencers was inadvertently exposed but that did not include any
sensitive personal data.
The
company termed the reports of private data being leaked as
"inaccurate" and acknowledged that "a particular
database for limited influencers was inadvertently exposed for
approximately 72 hours".
"This
database did not include any sensitive personal data and only
contained information available from the public domain, or self
reported by influencers," it said in a statement late Tuesday
night.
On
Tuesday, Facebook-owned Instagram said it is investigating whether a
third-party - Chtrbox - improperly stored its user data in violation
of its policies after reports that information of millions of users
being available online allegedly in an unsecured database emerged.
These
reports said the database found online - with over 49 million records
- contained information of millions of Instagram
influencers, celebrities and brand accounts. The database was
allegedly traced back to Chtrbox.
The
reports had said apart from public data (like bio, profile picture
and number of followers), the database also allegedly contained
users' private contact information such as email address and phone
number.
An
Instagram spokesperson had said the company is "investigating
whether a third party improperly stored Instagram data, in violation
of our policies. It's also not clear whether the phone numbers and
e-mails in Chtrbox's database came from Instagram".
Chtrbox,
in its statement, asserted that no personal data has been sourced
through unethical means by the company.
Business Standard
