How to do a reverse image search on Instagram?


Instagram is one of the most widely used social media platforms. In fact, you would be impressed with the umpteen possibilities offered by Instagram. But, you also run the risk of your images and videos being plagiarised. How to find if you are suffering any of those issues?

Plagiarism is one of the huge concerns for most of us in the digital world. The fact is Instagram has been one of the prominent options for video sharing. However, the popularity of the app also makes it quite susceptible to plagiarism threats. We will check out a few options you can make use of for finding if any of the images are plagiarised and offer you the options to reverse search.

What is reverse image search?


Reverse Image Search is a term that is self-explanatory. It is a technique used for finding similar images on the internet. This is quite equivalent to the text search options we normally use for checking plagiarism in terms of text; the reverse image search involves feeding in or uploading an image on the search engine and it will list out the visually similar images as a search result.
While the plagiarism tools like Grammarly or Copy Scape help you find text-based plagiarism which is quite rampant in the blogging world, Reverse Image Search can help you find image plagiarism. The technique is useful for finding details about who is using your copyrighted images. You will also be able to find more about the original source of the image. You will also be able to find more information on the high-resolution images files for the actual files you are looking for.

Instagram Image Search - Is it possible?


Well, yes. Of course, Instagram has a few stringent privacy laws and thus accessing the details about the images may not be that easy and simple. However, there are a few options that would be helpful in performing a reverse image search on Instagram. Do note that these techniques may or may not be completely practical in resolving the exact profile issues or finding the image plagiarism to a higher degree of reliability, but still the methods should be worth the try.

To begin with, Instagram is not capable of performing its own image search. You will need to make use of third-party options for the purpose. Here are a few excellent options you can give a try -

Google Image Search


When you think of Reverse Image Search, the first option that should offer you an optimum performance is from Google itself. In fact, it is one of the most reliable and easy to use tool for getting most of your tasks done.
google image
It assists you in discovering similar images on the internet. You can upload your target images onto the search engine and you will be able to find several images that match your search query. You can find the image matches right away along with the URL and source. If you find the images coming from Instagram, you will easily find the user profiles associated with these images.

The technique used in the image search involves a technology called query based image content. Your images will be detected even when someone edits and personalises the image.

Bing


Bing is yet another popular search engine and offers you similar functionality as Google Image Search. It offers you exactly the same option to search for your images and perform a reverse image search to find the same images.
bing
Click on the camera icon and you will be welcomed with a screen that offers you an option to check your image files. You will have access to the similar images and what makes it even more interesting is the fact that you can search the image files deleted after they are found and assessed.

TinEye


TinEye is the best and specialised tool for the reverse image search. The functionality remains similar to the two reverse image search options we have already covered in this compilation. You just need to upload the image to an image search engine and you will find the related images listed along with the sites that host the images.
tineye
What makes it one of the best options is that it relies on the actual images than focusing on the other image attributes like metadata, EXIF data or keywords. The tool uses its own search algorithm and provides you access to the images with ease and simple functioning. Just visit the site, upload your Instagram image and you are good to go. The search engine will perform an image search for similar image over the internet and list out the similar images along with the information on the sites hosting it.

The search engine is completely private and secure and does not need you to save or index the images. While the tool is free for use if you are checking it out for non-commercial applications, while commercial usage attracts a subscription charge.

Pixcy


Pixcy should be your ultimate option for the reverse image search tool for Instagram. In fact, it excels with its focus on being able to take action against the offenders who may be stealing your images. Of course, you need to create an account before you can actually begin using the app.

The free account should ideally meet most of your requirements. However, if you are someone who is involved with a lot of images and videos, the free account may not be enough to meet your needs. Moreover, the free account comes with a limitation of 500 images. Scanning may not be the best when compared to the premium account. Please note that the application comes with a subscription plan that will need you to make recurring payments.

Are there any options to prevent image plagiarism on Instagram?


There are several options like the ones outlined above to address the concern of Instagram image plagiarism. However, do note that these tools may or may not always work. The functioning is completely dependent on the crawlers used in the search engines. Some users may block the crawling of certain pages.
Some of the best techniques that can be helpful in letting you prevent the possibility of your Instagram images being plagiarised can be -
  • Make sure you are watermarking your images before posting them on Instagram.
  • Ensure that you have clearly mentioned privacy policy and guidelines that cover the usage permissions.
  • You can opt for DMCA badge for deterring the image thieves.
  • You can even make your account private.

The Concluding Thoughts


Those were a few good options that can be used for containing and checking the reverse image search performance. This will let you know more about the best practices and options for controlling Instagram Image Plagiarisation on your profile and account.


Comments

Author: Shravan12 May 2019 Member Level: Gold   Points : 2

Thanks Ankit for this wonderful article. I was aware of reverse image search possible on Google but was not aware that the same is possible on Instagram using tools like TinEye & Pixcy. Thanks once again for sharing this.



  • Do not include your name, "with regards" etc in the comment. Write detailed comment, relevant to the topic.
  • No HTML formatting and links to other web sites are allowed.
  • This is a strictly moderated site. Absolutely no spam allowed.
  • Name:
    Email: