Instagram Launching Tool That Lets You Download Content

Social media site Instagram has announced its building a new data portability tool which will allow users to download a copy of they shared on Instagram, including photos, videos and messages.

TechCrunch reports the new tool could make it much easier for users to leave Instagram and go to a competing image social network. And as long as it launches before May 25th, it will help Instagram to comply with upcoming European GDPR privacy law that requires data portability.

Instagram has historically made it very difficult to export your data.

You can’t drag, or tap and hold on images to save them. And you can’t download images you’ve already posted. That’s despite Instagram now being almost 8 years old and having over 800 million users.

For comparison, Facebook launched its “Download Your Information tool” in 2010, just six years after launch.