People are curious. We want to know things. Things like what happened on TV and who is watching us on Facebook. This curiosity has led to the development of apps like Profile Spy which promise all kinds of information if you just install the handy little app.
Profile Spy is a lovely bit of cleverness devised to tempt the unknowing. It generally shows up in your feed as a post from a friend saying “Try this it really works!” or some similar message. The app promises to show you the people who have been looking at your profile and what they’ve been looking at. All you have to do is install this handy app. That’s where things start to go a bit sideways.
After you install the app, it will make the same kind of post you clicked on in your name, making it appear like you approve of this app. Once the install is complete, you’re redirected to a website which shows a blurred list of names. All you have to do to view the names is complete a few third party offers and you’ll get the information you came for.
The offers ask for various amounts of personal information. Some ask for a cell phone number. If you give them your number you are also agreeing to the terms and conditions which say in tiny print that you agree to accept SMS messages from them and also pay all associated fees.
Other offers may request your email address or physical address. Located in the small print of those is a clause that says you allow third party marketers to contact you. You would also be putting yourself at risk for identity theft by giving your information to untrusted companies.
The real kicker to this whole charade is that you never get to see the names. You will never get to see who has been watching you. It doesn’t matter how many offers you complete, you’ll never get the information you were after. Facebook itself doesn’t have a way for users to see who has been viewing their profile. They just don’t keep logs of that. You can get access to demographic data, but you can only get very basic information like race or age. There is no third party app with access to those records either. Anytime an app says it can show you who has been viewing your profile, it is complete fiction. Facebook even answers this in their help section:
“Can I know who’s looking at my timeline or how often it’s being viewed? No. Facebook doesn’t let you track who views your profile or your posts. Third-party apps are also unable to do this. If you come across an app that says it can show you who’s viewing your profile or posts please report the app.”
If you have installed Profile Spy or something similar just go into your settings from your account page, navigate to the app and remove it. Make sure to report the app to protect others like yourself. I would also suggest running a malware and virus scan just to be safe.
There will always be a strong desire to know who’s watching us through the other side of the computer screen, but right now at least there’s no way to get that information. So, be smart, be suspicious of anything that promises you secret information, and even though I know it can be tedious, read the fine print. Know what you’re signing up for.
