Instagram Kept Deleted Messages and Pictures on Servers for Over a Year

When you delete photos from Instagram you expect them to be gone forever.

According to TechCrunch, security researcher Saugat Pokharel asked for a copy of his photos and direct messages from the company but he was sent data he had deleted more than 12 months previously.

Instagram said this was due to a bug in the system. The company awarded Pokharel a “$6,000 bug bounty” for highlighting the issue. It’s not clear how many users have been affected by this bug.

The researcher reported an issue where someone’s deleted Instagram images and messages would be included in a copy of their information if they used our Download Your Information tool on Instagram.

Instagram spokesperson to TechCrunch. “We’ve fixed the issue and have seen no evidence of abuse. We thank the researcher for reporting this issue to us”, Instagram spokesperson to TechCrunch.