Instagram begins rolling out two-factor authentication

The more popular Instagram has become, the more high-profile users it has attracted — and along with them, hackers who want access to their accounts. Taylor Swift and Kris Jenner are among the celebrities who have found their accounts temporarily inaccessible, and until now, it has required only a username and password to break in. That’s changing today now that Instagram is beginning to roll out two-factor authentication, an Instagram spokesman tells The Verge.

TechCrunch, which first reported the news, says Instagram will now let you verify your phone number with an account. From then on, any time you go to log in to your account, you’ll receive a text message with an authentication code. The code is needed to complete your login.

It’s good to see Instagram introducing phone number verification, but it’s fair to criticize the company for moving slowly here. Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, introduced two-factor authentication almost five years ago. Instagram says phone verification will be rolling out “slowly.” But for security-minded users, it can’t come quickly enough.