Instagram Upgrades DM Features While Winning Legal Battles to Protect Its Platform
Sep/10/2024
As Instagram rolls out new features for Direct Messaging, including drawing tools, stickers, birthday notifications, and personalized chat themes, the platform is also actively defending its brand against unauthorized use. In two recent legal victories, Instagram and its parent company Meta Platforms successfully reclaimed domain names that offered tools for downloading Instagram content, including Reels and Stories. One case targeted <igreelsdownload.xyz>, which enabled users to download Reels without authorization, while another focused on <instagramstoryviewer.info>, which offered tools for viewing and saving content without permission. Both domains were found to be infringing on Instagram’s trademarks and were transferred to Meta. This legal push aligns with Instagram's broader strategy to enhance user engagement, especially as Reels become a dominant feature on the platform. The following chart shows the average reach of Instagram Reels from 2023 to 2024 by number of followers, indicating a significant shift toward Reels as a primary mode of content consumption. With DMs now the preferred channel for sharing Reels, Instagram's introduction of new messaging tools underscores its commitment to evolving with user behavior while protecting its ecosystem from unauthorized tools and potential security risks.
