If you’ve been keeping an eye on your friends’ Instagram stories, you’ve probably seen some begging for anonymous questions. Yes, exactly as it was done on ASKfm a decade ago. This new platform comes under the name of NGL (or Not Gonna Lie), and like the previously mentioned, allows you to receive anonymous questions or comments that you can answer for all your friends to see.
To start receiving questions, you first need to download the app on your phone. Subsequently, create a profile and publish the link that the service gives you. But beware, and it is that a quick read to Privacy Policy from service lets see much more than what NGL shows us at first. The app does not care too much about the safety of its users.
The app is a huge red flag. Taking a look at the privacy policy of this new trend on Instagram, you can discover how the app “washes its hands” of any responsibility. From access to your bank details, to the transfer of your data to third parties.
How does NGL work on Instagram exactly?
The operation is quite simple. Once registered in the app, a link is generated that you can share on your Twitter account, your Instagram stories, or any social network you want. Using this link, the rest of the users will be able to enter and leave you their messages. All anonymous, yes, and there is no need to create an account to leave comments.
The idea is quite funny. Surrounded by mysteries and much engagement profiles that know how to take advantage of the new application. In addition, it allows you to converse more fluently with your followers, and some might reveal things they would never have said with public profiles.
But enough of making it desirable. We are here to talk to you about the problem that the new Instagram trend brings, and which could endanger your accounts or your devices.
The huge gray areas of NGL in its privacy policy
We’ll start by saying that NGL takes care of almost nothing. If you carefully read the privacy policy of the app, you can see that they are trying to evade responsibility to protect your data.
Using phrases like “but”, “however” or “although”, try to achieve some basic security practices, but without actually touching any. Of course, this is a pretty smart move if you really don’t care about protecting your users’ data. After all, you are leaving the decisions “in their hands”, playing with words and making them believe that you will protect them, “except if…”.
red flag #1. “We collect and use personal information from and about you,” reads the first clause of the privacy policy. They then proceed to describe the data they collect. Between them we have:
- Contact information (name, address, email, details about social networks and phone number.)
- Profile picturecommunication preferences, profile name, questions and answers.
- demographic information.
- payment details. That’s right, NGL also collects information about credit or debit cards. Among them, we find the card number, name of the cardholder, expiration date, “etc.” This “etc.” It is not detailed on the web, but if the only thing left to collect is the security code, it does not transmit any trust. In case you use other payment methods, the line is the same.
- Network activity informationlocation (IP address and postal code).
- “We collect information about you from various sources, direct and indirect.” Of course, it is also stores information about your devices.
red flag #2. How does NGL use the information it collects? Well, not in the best way, being completely honest. Here we are going to leave you some highlights of this policy.
- International transfers of information. On its website, NGL comments that, although its headquarters are in the United States, your information could be transferred within or outside the region. Here, they comment that your data could reach sites “where the privacy laws are not as understandable” as the ones they handle. Therefore, they are not responsible for what happens to them.
- Delete your information. Yes, you can delete the information that NGL has collected about you. However, the last part of this section is striking, and that is that they retain the right to “make exceptions” to the data they will delete about you. Basically, you have no guarantee that you will actually be left out of their database.
- Our favorite is the security section. Here, NGL tells us that “although we take reasonable steps to protect your personal information and identity, nothing on the internet is 100% secureThus, the app cannot “guarantee that all of your personally identifiable information will not be revealed in ways you don’t expect or that aren’t described in the privacy policy.” Great.
Last conclusions
Although NGL’s privacy policy is pretty pathetic, they do have a great point. Nothing on the internet is 100% secure.. Therefore, the best option you have is to stay away from these types of sites and applications.
On the other hand, you can choose to use tools like DuckDuckGo, that will make your navigation a much safer experience. Even if a scandal recently rocked the DuckDuckGo community, it’s still a better option than surfing the vast ocean that is the web naked.
As a final tip, you can always protect your IP address with VPN services and firewalls. If you have an iPhone and are subscribed to iCloud+, you can take advantage of Private Relay. This native iOS feature allows you to hide your IP address and protect your unencrypted browsing activity. Thus, no one will be able to access it, including your ISP or Apple itself.