Trust & Compliance

What we never do

• We never ask for your Instagram password, username, or two-factor code. There is no login form for Instagram anywhere on ByeBud.
• We never log in to your Instagram account. We cannot post, follow, unfollow, comment, or send messages on your behalf.
• We never scrape Instagram's website or APIs. We do not use bots, fake accounts, automated browsers, or unofficial API endpoints.
• We never store your Instagram export data on our servers. The file you select is read inside your own browser and is not transmitted to us.

What we do: the full upload-to-results flow

1. You download your official Instagram data export. Instagram lets any user request a copy of their data through Settings → Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Download your information. The export contains files like followers_1.json and following.json.
2. You open ByeBud and choose the file(s). You drag the files into the browser window or select them using the file picker. This is the same file-open dialog used by any local image editor or document viewer.
3. Your browser reads the file locally. ByeBud uses the browser's built-in File API to read the contents of the selected file(s) on your device. The file contents stay in memory inside your browser tab.
4. JavaScript compares the lists in your browser. We extract the usernames from your followers list and your following list, then compare them to identify accounts that do not follow you back. No network request is made for this calculation.
5. Results are shown on screen. The "not following back" list and any other summary metrics are rendered locally. We do not send the list of usernames to our backend.
6. If you choose to unlock the full list, Stripe processes the payment. The checkout is handled by Stripe. ByeBud only receives a confirmation of payment status from Stripe, not your card details.
7. When you close the tab or navigate away, the data is gone. Because we never upload the file, there is nothing for us to delete afterwards. Your data is cleared from browser memory as soon as you close the page.

How this keeps ByeBud inside Instagram's rules

Instagram's Terms of Use generally prohibit scraping, automated interactions, and using another person's account. ByeBud avoids all of these:

• No scraping or automation: We do not visit Instagram's website or make requests to Instagram's servers.
• No account access: We do not authenticate as you or request any permissions.
• Your data, your device: We only visualise the personal data file Instagram already gave you.
• No social actions: We cannot unfollow, block, or message anyone on your behalf.

ByeBud is a read-only viewer for your own exported data. It is not an Instagram client and does not interact with Instagram's platform.

What data leaves your browser

Very little. The only information that reaches our servers is the kind normally needed to run any website:

• Analytics: Anonymous page-view counts and, if you consent, general usage events. No Instagram usernames are ever included.
• Contact form: Your name, email, and message if you choose to contact us.
• Payment: Stripe handles card details. We only receive a transaction ID and confirmation from Stripe.

Your Instagram export data — the followers list, following list, and any derived comparison results — never leaves your browser.

Affiliation disclaimer

ByeBud is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta or Instagram. We are an independent tool for analysing your own exported data.

Questions?

If you have a compliance, security, or data-handling question, please use our Contact page.