Is buying Instagram followers legal?

It is important to understand that buying followers only improves the appearance of your profile and does not add any actual value to your business or brand. Followers acquired through purchase are not interested in your content and do not interact with your brand. This means you will not have a real engagement or conversion rate as these followers cannot be considered an active audience.

There is also a risk that these fake followers will quickly disappear, resulting in a loss of the number of followers you paid for. Furthermore, these inactive or fake followers can affect your credibility and have a negative impact on the perception of your brand.

If you want to succeed as a business or brand on Instagram, you should focus on creating high-quality content that appeals to your target audience and builds on genuine, engaged followers. By buying followers, you may avoid the time and effort of gaining real followers, but in the long run, this is not a sustainable strategy for success on Instagram. Instead, you should invest your energy and resources in organic methods to increase your following and build an authentic community.

Buying Instagram followers is usually done through third-party websites that sell Instagram followers. These websites offer different packages that include a certain number of followers. Some websites also offer the possibility to buy likes, comments and views.

To buy Instagram followers, you first need to choose a provider and select a package that fits your budget and requirements. The cost of buying followers varies depending on the number of followers and the provider. You can usually choose between different packages that include a certain number of followers. The cost per follower can vary between €0.01 and €1 or more.

After you have selected a package, you usually have to enter your Instagram URL and complete the payment. Once the payment is completed, the provider will start adding followers to your account. It is important to note that there is no guarantee that followers will actively participate in your content and that some of these followers may be fake, inactive or bots.

However, there are also black sheep among providers who use unethical or fraudulent methods to gain followers. These include, for example, buying followers through click farms or creating fake accounts. These methods not only violate Instagram’s terms of use, but can also lead to a loss of your account. Therefore, it is important to choose a reputable provider that uses sustainable methods to gain real and engaged followers.

Buying Instagram followers is not explicitly illegal in Germany, but it violates Instagram’s terms of use and can have legal consequences. First of all, buying followers violates Instagram’s terms of use, as this platform prohibits creating false, misleading or fraudulent accounts.

If a business buys Instagram followers to improve the appearance of its profile and to pretend to have a larger number of followers, it violates these terms of use. Instagram also has the right to disable or suspend accounts that violate their Terms of Service, including those that have purchased followers.

In addition, buying followers for business accounts can be classed as an anti-competitive act as it leads to businesses showing off a larger number of followers who do not actually exist or are not engaged. This can lead to businesses having an unfair competitive advantage over honest competitors who gain followers organically.

This anti-competitive advantage can result in claims for damages and lead to legal consequences. In some cases, buying followers can even lead to criminal consequences if a pecuniary advantage is gained through the deception.

Therefore, companies in Germany should avoid buying Instagram followers and instead focus on organic methods to increase their followers and build an authentic community.

Buying Instagram followers violates Instagram’s terms of use, as this platform prohibits creating false, misleading or fraudulent accounts. Instagram has clear guidelines and rules for account growth and explicitly prohibits the purchase of followers.

Creating fake or inactive accounts contradicts Instagram’s goal of building an authentic community where users can interact with other users in real time. Buying followers does not create a genuine or engaged community, but only a number of followers that pretend that a brand or business has a larger following than it actually does.

Instagram also has the right to disable or suspend accounts that violate their terms of service, including those that have purchased followers. So if a business buys Instagram followers, it risks having its account suspended and losing all its content and followers.

In addition, Instagram is actively cracking down on follower buying, using algorithms and tools to detect and remove fake accounts and fake followers. Companies that try to buy followers to artificially improve their Instagram profile therefore run the risk of being detected and penalised.

Overall, buying Instagram followers is a violation of Instagram’s terms of service and can have legal consequences. Businesses should focus on organic methods to increase their followers and build an authentic community to achieve long-term and sustainable success on Instagram.

Buying Instagram followers can lead to a competitive bias, especially for businesses that gain followers organically and honestly. Businesses that buy Instagram followers may have a larger number of followers, giving them an advantage over businesses that do not buy followers. This can result in honest businesses losing their opportunity for increased reach and visibility, putting them at a competitive disadvantage.

If businesses try to gain an unfair advantage by buying followers, by faking the popularity and respectability of their brand, this can be considered an anti-competitive act. Such deceptions lead to a distortion of competition, as companies that buy followers have an advantage over honest competitors.

This distortion of competition can lead to claims for damages, as honest companies may suffer economic disadvantages as a result of buying followers. There is also the possibility that companies that buy Instagram followers violate the Unfair Competition Act (UWG).

Businesses should be aware that buying Instagram followers not only violates Instagram’s terms of use, but can also have a negative impact on their reputation and credibility. By using organic methods to increase their followers and build an authentic community, businesses can ensure fair and honest competition and achieve long-term success on Instagram.

Buying Instagram followers can in some cases lead to criminal consequences if the company gains a pecuniary advantage through the deception. An example of this would be if a company buys Instagram followers to deceive investors or potential customers in order to obtain investments or sales.

In this case, the company could be prosecuted as it has gained a pecuniary advantage through the deception. This can be considered fraud and punishable under §263 of the German Criminal Code (StGB). Fraud can be punished with imprisonment of up to five years or a fine.

However, it is important to note that buying Instagram followers does not automatically lead to criminal consequences. This depends on the circumstances of the case and whether the company has gained a pecuniary advantage through the deception.

In any case, businesses should avoid buying Instagram followers and instead focus on organic methods to increase their following on Instagram. By using organic methods, businesses can achieve long-term and sustainable success on Instagram without risking violating Instagram’s terms of service or facing criminal penalties.

Another important aspect regarding buying Instagram followers is the loss of visibility. If you buy Instagram followers who do not interact with your content, your content may become less visible due to a lack of interactions and engagement rates. This can result in you gaining less reach and your brand becoming less visible. Here are some examples of well-known cases where buying followers has led to a loss of visibility:

1. Devumi: Devumi was a company that sold Instagram followers and other social media engagement. In 2018, the company was charged by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for deceptive business practices. Devumi was found to have sold Instagram followers and other social media engagement from bots and fake accounts, resulting in a loss of visibility and credibility.
2. The New York Times: In 2018, The New York Times published an article highlighting the purchase of Instagram followers by celebrities and companies. The article showed that buying followers can lead to a loss of visibility, as many of the purchased followers were inactive accounts or bots that had no actual interaction with the content.
3. Lil Miquela: Lil Miquela is a virtual influencer on Instagram with over 3 million followers. In 2018, it was discovered that Lil Miquela had bought a significant portion of her followers. This led to a loss of visibility and credibility and undermined the authenticity of the account.

These examples show that buying Instagram followers can lead to a loss of visibility and credibility, which can have a long-term negative impact on your brand. It is therefore advisable to use organic methods to build an authentic community that is actually interested in your content and actively participates in your brand.

An important difference between personal and business Instagram accounts in terms of buying followers is the legal situation. Buying followers has no legal consequences for personal accounts, as this usually only involves the private sharing of content. For business accounts, however, buying followers can be classified as an anti-competitive act, as it creates the illusion of popularity and respectability that does not exist in reality.

This creates a distortion of competition that can result in legal claims for damages and may even lead to criminal prosecution if a pecuniary advantage is achieved through the deception. It is therefore particularly important that business Instagram accounts focus on organic growth and do not acquire purchased followers in order to protect themselves against legal consequences and reputational damage.

In addition, there is also a difference in terms of interaction with followers. Personal accounts tend to have a more personal relationship with their followers and may be able to tolerate inactive accounts or bots. Business accounts, on the other hand, rely on an engaged and active community to promote their brand and sell their products or services.

It is therefore important that business Instagram accounts build an organic community that actively participates in their brand and is interested in their content.

Whether the cost of buying Instagram followers is worth it depends on what your goals are with your Instagram account. If you are only aiming for a high number of followers and are willing to pay for it, you may be able to get results in the short term.

However, you should keep in mind that purchased followers have no actual engagement rate or interaction with your content. They are usually inactive accounts or bots that do not form a real community. This means that you cannot benefit from a real audience and cannot expect real results or conversions.

In addition, buying followers can put you at risk of having your account suspended or deactivated, which can have a long-term negative impact on your brand or business. A suspended account means that you lose your followers and content and have to start all over again.

Therefore, it probably makes more sense in the long run to use organic methods to increase your following on Instagram. By creating high-quality and relevant content, interacting with your target audience and posting regularly, you can build an authentic community and achieve long-term success on Instagram.

In general, it is better to invest in the organic development of your Instagram account than in buying followers. A strong, engaged community on Instagram can be more valuable in the long run than a high number of followers who are not engaged and do not generate conversions.

There are several alternatives to buying Instagram followers to build an organic and engaged community. Here are a few options:

1. Create high-quality and relevant content that targets your audience.
2. Interact with your target audience through likes, comments and direct messages to build a relationship.
3. Use hashtags to make your posts accessible to a wider audience.
4. Use Instagram Stories and live streams to reach and interact with your target audience.
5. Post regularly to maintain a consistent presence on Instagram.
6. Collaborate with other Instagram accounts or influencers to increase your reach.
7. Use Instagram ads to target your audience.
8. Use tools like Instagram Insights to analyse and optimise your performance on Instagram.
9. Offer giveaways or competitions to encourage your audience to promote and share your brand.
10. Hire a social media manager.

These organic methods can help build a genuine and engaged community on Instagram that can be valuable in the long run. However, it takes time and commitment to build a strong presence on Instagram and requires a continuous effort to reach and interact with your target audience.

How can a lawyer assist with the issue of buying followers legally?

A lawyer can assist in several areas regarding the issue of “buying followers legally”. Here are some examples and bullet points:

• Advice: a lawyer can advise businesses and individuals on whether buying Instagram followers is legal and what the legal consequences are. He can also advise on how to build an organic community and what strategies to use to improve visibility and credibility.
• Contracts: A lawyer can draft and review contracts to ensure they comply with applicable laws and policies. He can also negotiate contractual agreements on the use of social media platforms such as Instagram and ensure that the terms are fair to both parties.
• Damages: A lawyer can represent companies or individuals who need to claim damages or defend against claims for damages based on the purchase of Instagram followers. He or she can also assist in the enforcement of claims for damages and conduct court proceedings.
• Compliance: A lawyer can help companies and individuals comply with legal regulations and guidelines and ensure that they are in a legally secure position. He can also assist in implementing compliance programmes and training employees.
• Reputation management: A lawyer can help companies or individuals to restore or protect their reputation in the event of reputational damage. He can help with the enforcement of injunctive relief and claims for damages and assist in avoiding legal consequences due to reputational damage.

Overall, in relation to the issue of buying followers, a lawyer can play an important role in protecting businesses and individuals from legal consequences and reputational damage and in helping them to build a successful and lawful social media strategy.