Instagram Hits 300 Million Active Users, Adds Badges For Verified Accounts

Instagram announced today that it has 300 million active users and signaled that it is continuing efforts to make sure those users are real people.

“Over the past four years, what began as two friends with a dream has grown into a global community that shares more than 70 million photos and videos each day,” Instagram co-founder and CEO Kevin Systrom wrote in a blog post.

At 300 million, Instagram has surpassed Twitter and its 284 million monthly actives as the second-place major social network. The Facebook-owned photo and video sharing network is growing fast; it passed the 200-million mark in March.

Instagram also released several more user and usage stats, saying more than 70% of its users are people outside the United States, that more than 30 billion photos and videos have been shared. In an indication that engagement is high, users tap the like button 2.5 billion times daily.

To make sure those interactions are what they seem, Instagram said it is adding verified badges for celebrities, athletes and brands that have a high likelihood of being impersonated.

Instagram’s verification badges will start to appear in the coming days; similarly to Twitter’s system, there is no way to request verification.

Instagram said it will also continue to target spammy and fake accounts, which Systrom wrote, is crucial for the network’s continued success:

Finally, as more people join, keeping Instagram authentic is critical—it’s a place where real people share real moments. We’re committed to doing everything possible to keep Instagram free from the fake and spammy accounts that plague much of the web, and that’s why we’re finishing up some important work that began earlier this year.

We’ve been deactivating spammy accounts from Instagram on an ongoing basis to improve your experience. As part of this effort, we will be deleting these accounts forever, so they will no longer be included in follower counts. This means that some of you will see a change in your follower count.