Hyp3r is Facebook and Instagram marketing partner. It is a startup that provides a location-based marketing platform. The startup uses geosocial data to analyze, engage, and acquire high-value customers. Sadly, Hyp3r tracked millions users’ data.
As reported by Business Insider, the startup has been secretly collecting and storing location and other data on millions of users. That act is against the policies of social media. From the same report, Instagram confirmed that the startup violates its policy. Moreover, Instagram said that the startup has now been removed from the platform.
Also read: What to Expect in Facebook F8
Hyp3r and Facebook Partnership
With the help of Hyp3r, Instagram can target users attending an event. The event can range from a baseball game to a concert. The startup uses Instagram’s official API to hoover the original data.
To get an ad because you are at an event is not frightening. However, if your exact location is persistently recorded, then, you have to start to worry. Besides, the startup also accesses objects in your photos and types of places you visit, in order to combine that with other demographics and build a detailed shadow profile.
In 2018, unfortunately, the API is severely restricted. Thus, Hyp3r got limited access to location and user data. At the same time, the startup laid offs many of their employers. Yet, it survived by adapting its business model with minimal barriers from Instagram. Therefore, they could scrap the user location data.
Also read: Philippines Innovation Acts to Boost Startup Growth
The startup accessed the data from Instagram’s Location pages. The pages serve up public accounts visiting them to anyone who asked, logged in or not.
The same report also mentioned that Hyp3r also built tools to circumvent limitations on both location collection and saving of personal accounts’ stories. Thus, it can access content meant to disappear after 24 hours. If a user posted anything at one of the thousands of locations and regions monitored by Hyp3r, their data sucked up and added to their shadow profile.
Sadly, Hyp3r still claims that it is compliant with consumer privacy regulations and social network Terms of Services. Furthermore, its name remains on the official Facebook Marketing Partners directory.
