The visibility of a user’s following list on Instagram is governed by the account’s privacy settings. If an account is public, anyone can view the profiles it follows. If an account is private, only approved followers can see the accounts that the user is following.
Controlling the visibility of one’s follower and following lists offers individuals greater agency over their online presence. A private following list reduces the potential for unwanted attention, data scraping, or competitive analysis by third parties. Historically, the functionality to manage this visibility has evolved as Instagram has responded to user concerns about privacy and data security.