How to View Private Facebook Profiles

In the early days of Facebook, users posted various forms of personal and private data.In hindsight, we're all green, but it doesn't feel like a privacy issue waiting to happen.

Until it becomes a huge data privacy issue.Right now, the best privacy practice is to keep your Facebook profile private to protect your identity, your data, and even your friends' data.

But people have figured out how to tell if someone's Facebook is private, how to access locked Facebook profiles, and how to view private Facebook profiles.

So let's explore how to check your private Facebook profile to help you stay safe.

What is a Facebook private profile?

A Facebook private profile is an account that cannot be viewed without being friends.When you view a private Facebook profile, you don't see any user information, and in many cases, no profile photo.The user has turned off any public-facing profile settings, making the profile not entirely anonymous, but certainly more private.

In the early days, Facebook had some tricks, at least for people to see a private Facebook account.For example, adding someone as a friend gives access to that person's Facebook page regardless of privacy settings.

Another workaround is to modify the URL of your Facebook profile to access profile pictures and other uploads.At the time, there were also third-party tools to circumvent some of Facebook's privacy settings.

Thankfully, Facebook has shut down the vast majority of these backdoors and workarounds.The intense scrutiny Facebook faces over user privacy means that accessing private Facebook profiles is difficult.

At this point, the biggest holes in Facebook's privacy are human connections: social engineering, weak passwords, and poor personal security.

How users can see someone else's locked profile on Facebook

Even if you set your Facebook profile to private, that doesn't stop people from trying to view it.Worse, setting your Facebook profile to private doesn't close the loopholes people can use to circumvent privacy settings.They are bugs after all.The clue is in the name.

There are a few methods people use to get into locked Facebook profiles.Here's what you need to be aware of, because even if you know the tricks below, someone may try to use them against you.

1. Fake Facebook friends

The most direct way is through fake friends.These users figured out how to view Facebook posts from non-friends.

Someone desperate to gain access to your private Facebook profile may create a completely fake profile to befriend you and gain access to your Facebook profile.

A fake friend profile will use well-known details to trick you into accepting requests.For example, a (stolen) profile might feature someone of a similar age with similar interests and likes, or say they are from the same hometown, school, or business; anything can create a false connection.

If someone specifically targets your account, they can use information they find on other accounts linked to yours to create the appearance of colleagues from different departments or long-lost elementary school classmates.

The difficulty of spotting fake Facebook friends depends on how you use your account.If you're already a very private person with only a handful of Facebook friends, it's easier to spot fake requests.

2. Malware applications

Once Facebook finally made it really difficult to view private Facebook profiles, those eager to view private Facebook profiles turned to more extreme options.

Installing malware is one of the more extreme ways to view private Facebook profiles.Malware, and more recently stalkerware installed on victims' devices, can gain direct access to private Facebook accounts.

Malware apps aren't hard to use.However, you can get some reassurance in the fact that unless someone has access to your computer or smartphone, or tricks you into downloading malware with a malicious email or link, it won't work.

If someone uses a malware application to view or mirror a Facebook account to a different device, it can be difficult to detect, especially if the person monitoring it doesn't modify or change the behavior of the device.

3. Stolen passwords

A third way to access private Facebook profiles is by stealing passwords directly. Facebook's password creation rules are decent enough.You need at least eight characters, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

Even with such combinations, users go out of their way to create the easiest passwords to remember.If you have a simple password, it can be easily guessed by others.You may not even know your Facebook account was hacked in the first place.

Another problem is password reuse.If you reuse a password across several websites, and one of those sites suffers a data breach, you suddenly have several vulnerable accounts.You may not even realize your passwords have been compromised, such is the number of data breaches internet users face.

Alternatively, you should start using stronger passwords.

4. Phishing and social engineering

Another last resort someone might use to gain access to your private Facebook account is to socially engineer one of your friends to give up their account.Of course, that sounds far-fetched, as if it would be a huge effort just to check out a private Facebook account.However, if you're a high value person, or someone really wants to see what your cat looks like, they could go all the way and try to trick one of your friends into looking at your locked account.

What is Facebook Locked Profile Viewer?

The Facebook Locked Profile Viewer is exactly what it sounds like: a tool that promises to unlock any Facebook account and reveal its contents to you.While the idea of ​​using a free online tool to unlock a private Facebook account sounds tempting, these sites are usually filled with all kinds of scams and other nasty stuff that you could end up doing real harm to your computer.The threat of malware is an issue, and you could lose more than just your Facebook data while trying to see someone's locked Facebook profile.

Additionally, there are also some Android APKs that promise to reveal a private Facebook account.An Android APK is an installation file for an Android app, but you will most likely have to turn off your device's security settings to install it.Now, there are a few places you can download safe APK files from, but a random website that promises to reveal Facebook's private data isn't one of them.Apps that promise to unlock your Facebook account, private or not, are more likely to be malware that steals your data rather than giving you access to your private Facebook account.

Facebook is a security and privacy nightmare

A private Facebook profile should protect your data.But you shouldn't rely entirely on Facebook.The social media giant is as much a privacy concern as anyone trying to view your private profile.

As you enter data, upload photos, and share and like pages, Facebook already has the data. Facebook's stalking is prolific, and Facebook has been embroiled in a number of privacy scandals.

Overall, Facebook is a security and privacy nightmare.So yes, protect your Facebook account from someone snatching your data.But also consider protecting yourself from the platform itself.