49 Million Instagram Influencer Records Exposed in Open Database

How many Instagram influencers does it take to create a massive unplanned data release? At least 49 million, if the contents of a publicly exposed database are any indication.

In the latest data incident involving an AWS-hosted database misconfiguration, a database containing contact information for millions of Instagram influencers was found by researcher Anurag Sen, who discovered that the information required no username or password for access.

A TechCrunch reporter traced the database to Chtrbox, a Mumbai-based firm that pays Instagram users to post sponsored information. According to Instagram, scraping the service for the phone, email, mailing address, and other information contained in the database is against the platform's terms of service. The company says it is in conversation with Chtrbox to determine how the information was gathered.

After being contacted by the reporter, the database was taken offline; Chtrbox has not commented on the database, its contents, or the incident.

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