Browsed by
Month: August 2019

Gramblr Instagram photo uploader and malware botnot no longer available

Gramblr Instagram photo uploader and malware botnot no longer available

Instagram intentionally makes it very difficult to upload photos from a PC. Instagram wants everything to be smartphone-centric. Many people use a variety of tricks to get around this upload problem including processing photos on their PC or Mac and then transferring them to their phone or tablet for upload using the Instagram app.

Because of this (dumb) limitation of Instagram, users wanted an easy way to upload photos from their PC. A malware company developed Gramblr as an easy way to upload from your PC. Their software was very sophisticated on many levels, one of which was that it secretly viewed Youtube videos behind the scenes each time you upload a photo to Instagram. Their business model was to sell Youtube video views and likes, and to deliver those views through the Gramblr bot net.

As of the summer of 2019, Gramblr has disappeared and their website is gone. The Gramblr botnet has been shut down (or at least no new users will get infected).

Youtube now pseudo fact checking some videos

Youtube now pseudo fact checking some videos

Youtube has begun flagging videos on selected topics and displays a fairly large banner with a quote from Wikipedia – just in case the video does not meet Google’s own definitions of truthiness. Or something. It’s kinda weird since they use Wikipedia – the encyclopedia that anyone can and does edit – as the source of truth.

The Instagram Algorithm in 2019

The Instagram Algorithm in 2019

When you post photos on Instagram, you probably think your followers see your photos and hopefully click Like. But that is not how Instagram works – at all.

Instagram uses an algorithm to determine when your photos are shown, and to whom. Similarly, the algorithm selects what photos you see from your friends.

When you make an initial post, IG “market tests” your post to a subset of your followers. If they interact with the photo, then IG will show it to more people. If interaction is minimal, then your post’s visibility will be drastically cut to the point it is no longer being seen.

Combined with aspects of the secret IG algorithm, your posts may no longer appear on hashtag searches either, rendering your account invisible.

Once the IG algorithm has flagged your account as being, effectively, “low engagement/boring”, the visibility of your posts and your account itself may largely vanish from view.