Instagram: A controversial app, Like Patrol, will soon be available for download, even though Apple has removed it from the App Store, according to an announcement from its developers.
Apple banned the Like Patrol app last week after Instagram alleged it violated its data collection policies by allowing users to spy on each other.
The app, which charges $80 a year, provided notifications whenever an interested user liked or commented on another Instagram user's photo, as well as details about that user's gender.
Like Patrol creator Sergio Quintero accused Facebook of double standards when it comes to user privacy and vowed to overturn Apple. He also revealed plans to launch a web and Android version of the app.
“There is great hypocrisy in Facebook ’s decision to remove our app,” said Mr. Quintero. “Like Patrol does not collect data from Instagram users, it simply provides them with a tool to reorganize the information that is already available to them.”
An Instagram spokesperson said that data scraping violates its policies, adding: "Like Patrol was collecting user data, so we had to take appropriate action."
While the app can be used by anyone, it catered more to users' romantic relationships. In fact, many have called it a "tracking app" due to the functionality it provided.
Essentially, the app allows people to monitor their partners' activity through "Instagram activity insights.".
It's worth noting that a similar version of this tool was available through Instagram's official Following Tab, however this feature was removed in October.
“If our app’s functionality violated Apple’s policies, then Instagram was violating its own policies from 2011 to 2019 with the Following Tab,” said Mr. Quintero.
"We decided to make Like Patrol open source and allow anyone to use it. We will announce the official release in the coming days."
Apple app , but confirmed that it had been removed for violating its guidelines.
