Instagram has confirmed it will let users download their personal data, including previously shared photos, videos and messages, as it prepares for the European data regulation GDPR...

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) brings with it a number of rights for individuals, including to demand deletion of data, to opt out of future data collection, and to view the personal data a company possesses and to download it in a format that can be moved over to competitors.

These were the requirements Instagram would fulfil shortly, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. “We are building a new data portability tool,” a spokesperson said. “You’ll soon be able to download a copy of what you’ve shared on Instagram, including your photos, videos and messages...

It is unclear whether the company will also include details of a user’s advertising profiling in its data download...

A number of data breaches may also be made public next month as companies race to beat the GDPR deadline...

According to EUObserver, the European commission intends to police that deadline according to the date of disclosure, not the date of the underlying breach.