- Instagram influencers and celebrities numbering in the millions had their private contact info left exposed on a database, TechCrunch reports.
- The database was reportedly compiled by an India-based social-media-marketing firm called Chtrbox. The database has since been taken offline.
- Instagram said in a statement to TechCrunch that it was looking into the matter and that “scraping data of any kind is prohibited.”
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Millions of influencers and personalities on Instagram had their private email addresses and phone numbers left exposed on an unprotected online database, TechCrunch reports.
The public database contained the records on millions of prominent Instagram users, according to TechCrunch. The website said the database had more than 49 million records of high-profile celebrities, bloggers, and more.
Facebook, which owns Instagram, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. In a statement to TechCrunch, Facebook said it was investigating the matter to find out what data was obtained.
“Scraping data of any kind is prohibited on Instagram,” the representative said.
The database was reportedly created by a social-media-marketing firm called Chtrbox, which is based in India. TechCrunch said the database was taken offline shortly after it contacted Chtrbox.
The database, which also contained public information like follower counts and locations, was used to determine the "worth" of each Instagram account and to see how much booking an influencer for an ad or sponsored post would cost, according to TechCrunch.