Best Instagram Alternatives That Protect Your Privacy

After Instagram's privacy policy snafu that turned into a public relations disaster, many users are looking for a safe alternative to store and share their photos that won't sell them out.

After being acquired by Facebook for $1 billion, Instagram tried to amend its terms of use, allowing it to use any of its members' photos in advertisements without notifying or compensating them.

The terms would have gone into effect on Jan. 16 of next year, and there was no way to opt out. The only solution was to delete the Instagram account.

A massive backlash ensued from both Instagram users and privacy advocates. Instagram quickly backpedaled, removing the offending lines from its policy update, but the company says it is committed to finding a way to monetize the vast amount of data stored on it servers.

Before that happens, many users are looking for alternatives. Here are the best ones.

1. Flickr - the online photo storage and sharing site has been around for years, and it still works well even after being acquired by Yahoo. A free account lets users upload 300 MB of photos each month and view the last 200.

However, Flickr has a holiday promotion in effect right now. The site is offering three months of its Pro service for free, which allows unlimited uploads and photo viewing and high resolution downloads. After the trial period ends, the account automatically switches over to a free account, no strings attached.

2. Twitter - the social media site is in a bit of a feud with Instagram, recently disabling a feature that allowed users to post Instagram photos directly into their tweets. But people who are Twitter users anyway might want to just take their photos directly from the Twitter app, then edit and post them to their readymade audience.

3. 500px - a site for photographers with a less casual bent, 500px also offers a marketplace to sell any posted photos. The free account includes 10 uploads per week and access to the photo store. The Plus membership is $19.95 per year, which includes unlimited uploads and statistical analysis. A yearlong "Awesome" membership for $49.95 also includes personalized portfolios and web domains.

4. EyeEm - the photo sharing site allows users to follow each other and post comments all within the app or through the website. The app is also available on all major platforms, including iOS, Android and Windows Phone, a rare occurrence for any app, let alone one for photo sharing.