Many Instagram users turn to third-party "unfollower" apps to track who follows and unfollows them. But these apps often demand your login credentials, harvest your data, and put your account security at risk. Worse yet, they violate Instagram's Terms of Service and frequently lead to mysterious account restrictions that leave users confused and frustrated.
Instead, you can use Instagram's official data export feature combined with ChatGPT to achieve the same result without compromising your privacy or risking your account. As someone who regularly investigates security vulnerabilities, I've seen firsthand how these "harmless" apps can lead to account takeovers, data breaches, and account restrictions. Recently, I helped a client whose account was restricted for 30 days after using one of these services.
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In this guide, I'll walk you through a secure method to track your Instagram unfollowers using only official Instagram tools and AI assistance, keeping your account safe while giving you the insights you want.
Why Avoid Third-Party Apps
Common risks include:
- Account takeover: Apps can use your credentials to access your account, change settings, or post content without your knowledge.
- Data harvesting: Many apps collect and resell your personal information and follower lists to third parties.
- Malware distribution: Some apps hide malicious code that can infect your device or steal additional information.
- Instagram policy violations: Using these apps can result in your account being suspended or permanently banned.
I recently investigated a case where a client's Instagram account was compromised after using an unfollower tracking app. The attackers gained access to her account and began posting spam content to her followers. It took weeks to recover the account and restore her reputation.
Instagram Terms Violations & Account Restrictions
One of the most common complaints I hear from clients is "My account is restricted and I don't know why." Often, this happens after using third-party unfollower tracking apps, and many users are completely unaware that these apps violate Instagram's Terms of Service.
When you provide your username and password to these apps, you're violating several key terms:
- Unauthorized access: Sharing your credentials with third parties constitutes unauthorized access to Instagram's systems
- Automated data collection: These apps use automated methods to scrape your data, which violates Instagram's anti-bot policies
- Data misuse: Apps that collect and potentially sell your personal information violate Instagram's data usage policies
- Platform manipulation: Using external tools to manipulate follower relationships goes against Instagram's community guidelines
Common restriction scenarios:
- Action blocks: Instagram may temporarily restrict your ability to follow, unfollow, or like posts
- Account suspension: Repeated violations can lead to temporary or permanent account suspension
- Shadowbanning: Your content may be hidden from non-followers without you knowing
- Login issues: Instagram may require additional verification or temporarily lock your account
I recently worked with a client whose account was restricted for 30 days after using an unfollower tracking app. She had no idea that the app was violating Instagram's terms, and it took weeks to get her account fully restored. The restriction significantly impacted her business.
Step 1: Download Your IG Data
Instagram provides an official way to download your account data, including your followers and following lists. This is the safest method because it uses Instagram's own secure systems and doesn't require sharing your login credentials with third parties.
How to request your data:
Quick method (recommended):
- Open Instagram and go to your profile
- Tap the three lines (hamburger menu) in the top right
- Go to Settings and privacy
- Use the search bar at the top and search for "Download your information"
- Tap on the search result
- Choose Select types of information
- Deselect all options, then select only Followers and following
- Choose JSON as the format
- Select Low quality for media (faster download)
- Tap Submit request
Alternative method:
- Open Instagram and go to your profile
- Tap the three lines (hamburger menu) in the top right
- Go to Settings and privacy
- Scroll down and tap Accounts Center
- Select Your information and permissions
- Tap Download your information
- Choose Select types of information
- Deselect all options, then select only Followers and following
- Choose JSON as the format
- Select Low quality for media (faster download)
- Tap Submit request
Instagram will send you an email when your data is ready for download. This usually takes a few minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your account.
How to Defend Your Data:
- Choose JSON format: JSON is easier to work with than HTML and contains structured data that's perfect for analysis.
- Select low quality: This reduces file size and download time while still providing all the necessary information.
- Download promptly: Instagram typically keeps your data available for download for 4 days, so don't wait too long.
- Secure storage: Store your downloaded data in a secure location and delete it when you're done with your analysis.
Step 2: Locate Followers & Following
Once you've downloaded your Instagram data, you'll need to locate the specific files containing your followers and following lists. The data comes in a ZIP file that you'll need to extract first.
Finding your data files:
- Download the ZIP file from the email Instagram sent you
- Extract the ZIP file to a folder on your computer
- Navigate to the extracted folder
- Look for the followers_and_following folder
- Inside, you'll find two key files:
- followers.json - Contains all accounts that follow you
- following.json - Contains all accounts you follow
These JSON files contain structured data with usernames, display names, and timestamps for when each relationship was established. The data is organized in a way that makes it easy to compare and analyze.
How to Defend Your Files:
- Keep files organized: Create a dedicated folder for your Instagram analysis to keep everything organized.
- Backup your data: Make a copy of your extracted files before making any changes.
- Secure deletion: When you're done, securely delete the files to protect your privacy.
- Check file integrity: Verify that both JSON files are complete and not corrupted before proceeding.
Step 3: Compare in ChatGPT
Now comes the powerful part: using ChatGPT to analyze your data and identify unfollowers. This method is completely secure because you're not sharing your Instagram credentials with anyone, and ChatGPT doesn't store your personal data permanently.
How to use ChatGPT for analysis:
- Open ChatGPT (chat.openai.com)
- Start a new conversation
- Upload both JSON files (followers.json and following.json)
- Use this prompt:
"Please analyze these two Instagram data files and help me identify:
1. Accounts I follow that don't follow me back (one-way following)
2. Accounts that follow me but I don't follow back (one-way followers)
3. Total counts for each category
4. Clean lists showing just the usernames/handles
Please format the results clearly and ignore any deactivated or hidden accounts."
ChatGPT will analyze the JSON files and provide you with organized lists showing exactly who's not following you back and who's following you that you don't follow back.
How to Defend Your Privacy:
- Use specific prompts: Be clear about what you want analyzed to avoid unnecessary data processing.
- Don't share personal details: Avoid including any personal information in your prompts beyond the data files.
- Review results carefully: Check the output for accuracy before taking any action on your Instagram account.
- Clear conversation history: Delete the conversation after you're done to remove your data from ChatGPT's memory.
Step 4: Review Results
Once ChatGPT has analyzed your data, you'll receive clear, organized lists showing your Instagram relationship status. This gives you the same information that unsafe third-party apps would provide, but without any security risks.
What you'll get:
- One-way following list: Accounts you follow that don't follow you back
- One-way followers list: Accounts that follow you but you don't follow back
- Total counts: Numbers for each category to help you understand your account's growth
- Clean usernames: Easy-to-read lists of handles for quick reference
From here, you can make informed decisions about your Instagram relationships. You might choose to unfollow accounts that don't follow you back, follow back accounts that are following you, or simply use this information to better understand your audience.
I recently used this method with a client who wanted to clean up their Instagram following. We discovered that 40% of the accounts they were following were inactive or spam accounts, which was hurting their engagement rates. After cleaning up their following list, their engagement improved significantly.
How to Defend Your Account:
- Review before acting: Don't immediately unfollow everyone. Review each account to ensure you're making the right decisions.
- Consider engagement quality: Look at whether accounts engage with your content, not just whether they follow you back.
- Be strategic: Use this information to improve your Instagram strategy rather than just chasing follower counts.
- Monitor changes: Repeat this process monthly to track changes in your follower relationships.
Security Best Practices
To protect your Instagram account and maintain a healthy presence, follow these comprehensive security guidelines:
Account Security:
- Never share credentials: Never provide your Instagram username and password to any third-party app or service.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Add an extra layer of security to your Instagram account to prevent unauthorized access.
- Use official Instagram features only: Stick to Instagram's built-in tools and official data export options for accessing your information.
- Monitor account activity: Regularly check your account's "Login Activity" to ensure no unauthorized access has occurred.
- Regularly review connected apps: Check your Instagram settings regularly to see which apps have access to your account and revoke access to any you no longer use.
- Report suspicious apps: If you encounter apps asking for Instagram credentials, report them to Instagram through their official channels.
Data Protection:
- Secure file handling: Store your downloaded data securely and delete it when you're done.
- Regular data requests: Download fresh data monthly to track changes in your follower relationships.
- Blur usernames in screenshots: If you share your results online, blur out usernames to protect others' privacy.
- Clear conversation history: Delete ChatGPT conversations after you're done to remove your data from AI memory.
Instagram Strategy:
- Quality over quantity: Focus on building meaningful relationships rather than just increasing follower counts.
- Be patient: Building a genuine following takes time. Don't rush to unfollow accounts just because they don't follow back immediately.
- Focus on value: Concentrate on creating content that provides value to your audience rather than obsessing over numbers.
- Review before acting: Don't immediately unfollow everyone. Review each account to ensure you're making the right decisions.
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