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Comment by jorvi | Hacker News Reader

I have an Instagram account that I no longer own the e-mail or recovery phone number for. I have the password for it but every time I try to log in I get a ‘suspicious login’ warning and have to verify with said phone number. I want it gone but I cannot delete it. Loathe as I am I would even be willing to provide government ID.

Instagram literally has no contactable support if you aren’t a massive account (200k+ followers or whatever). I feel this should be highly illegal.

I have thought about retaining a lawyer and see if I can twist their arm legally (via GDPR), but I don’t want a simple account deletion to run in the tens of thousands of euros.

Yes I am intensely frustrated.

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I once got my old username released through their generic support ticket system. I never received a reply, but instead found one day that they had processed my request.

You don't need a lawyer to send a standard "right to erasure" GDPR request and they are required to respond within 30 days: https://gdpr.eu/right-to-erasure-request-form/

This should work.

The automated ID verification might fail for a variety of reasons (frankly if they don’t originally have a copy I’m not sure what they’d be comparing it to) but the GDPR process should work if you fight long enough. You might need to prove that you owned the email or number though - email might be tricky but number is easier as you can submit a bill or do another subject access request to your provider which should still have records about it.

Good luck!

Yes, but here comes the problem: where would I send this request? Instagram notes no public facing physical address for my country and their support e-mail just sends back automated replies.

Their support email processing system may have a different code path for emails that contain "gdpr right to erasure" in the subject line?

https://help.instagram.com/519522125107875/

"The data controller responsible for your information is Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, which you can contact online or by writing to:

Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd.

4 Grand Canal Square

Grand Canal Harbour

Dublin 2 Ireland"

The "contact online" link leads to the following form: https://help.instagram.com/contact/186020218683230

I would send the request both online and by tracked post with a proof of delivery. In the end your lawyer would do the same thing and charge for this at an hourly rate.

I feel the same way with the contact ability. Companies should have a human contact opportunity by law.

they’ll just make you wait an hour and hang up on you like my health insurance company does, unfortunately you can’t mandate good service

Still I will take it above no possibility at all.

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