Why It’s Not Worth Trying to View Private Facebook Profiles

By Trae Jacobs,

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There are times when we’d all like to view a private Facebook profile. Maybe it’s part of a hiring process, or maybe your curiosity is getting the better of you.

However, attempting to view someone’s private information on Facebook causes more trouble than it’s worth.

How to View Private Facebook Profiles Made Easy

While none of them are exactly ethical, there are a few ways you can view someone’s private Facebook profile:

Creating a fake profile and sending the person a friend request
Using someone else’s account, authorized or unauthorized
Installing spyware
Using phishing scams

I definitely recommend against using things like spyware and phishing scams to view someone’s Facebook profile. And while creating a fake profile or using someone else’s account seems harmless, it could still have consequences.

Viewing Private Facebook Profiles

Of course, there are legitimate reasons for wanting to view someone’s private Facebook, such as wanting to ensure the safety of your children while they use social media.

But before we dive into how you can view someone’s private Facebook, we should cover some important safety disclosures.

Apart from the legal risks, you run the risk of destroying your relationship with the person you’re trying to view online, as well as anyone else you bring into your scheme.

Ultimately, it’s up to you whether you try any of these methods. But hear us out — this is why it’s never a good idea to try to view a private Facebook profile.

Creating a Fake Profile

A straightforward way of viewing someone’s private profile is creating a fake Facebook profile and sending them a friend request. It could be one of your mutual friends, or it could be a picture you pulled off Google.

Sometimes, they’ll accept your request. But, impersonating someone with a fake profile is illegal in some states, and if anyone involved ever figures out you’re behind the account, you could destroy any relationship you have with them.

Using Someone Else’s Account

Another way you can get access to a private or locked Facebook profile is by using someone else’s account, either by stealing their password or by logging in with their permission.

Obviously, if someone you know is friends with the person on Facebook and lets you use their account to view the profile, there are no legal implications involved. But, if they ever tell the person what you did, it can create other problems.

Stealing a password is a different story. Not only is it illegal, but it’ll also negatively affect your relationship with the person if they ever find out it’s you.

Install Spyware

Spyware lets you screen record someone’s internet use and see everything they’ve been browsing. Some parents install this on their child’s computer in the form of a parental control app.

While it’s not illegal to use a parental control app to monitor your child’s internet activity, hacking into an adult’s device to install spyware without their knowledge is.

Phishing Scams

Another way you can view someone’s private Facebook is by using a phishing scam to obtain their password. This method usually relies on the victim opening a fake email.

Phishing scams are very prevalent on Facebook. A scammer sends an email pretending to be from Facebook, then requests your password. If the victim doesn’t know this is a scam, there’s a good chance they’ll give out their password.

But again, phishing scams are incredibly illegal. If the person you send the email to doesn’t fall for your scam and reports it, you could face hefty legal consequences.

What Makes a Facebook Profile “Private”

There are a few ways to make your Facebook profile “private.” If you activate the Profile Lock feature, no one other than your friends can see anything but your profile picture, name, and cover photo.

If you don’t have access to Profile Lock, you can adjust your tagged photo settings and past and future post settings to make your account private.

Activate Profile Lock

Having a locked Facebook profile means no one other than your friends can view your personal information.

Not everyone has access to Profile Lock yet, but if you do, you can follow the steps below to activate it:

Open your Facebook profile.
Click the three dots under “Edit Profile.”
Select “Lock Profile.”
Confirm by pressing “Lock Your Profile.”

Adjust Your Privacy Settings

Manually adjusting your privacy settings gives you more autonomy over your profile than locking it.

When you make your profile private rather than locking it, you can do things like opt out of having search engines outside of Facebook link to your profile.

To change your privacy settings, you’ll first need to access your main settings on Facebook:

Click on your profile icon in the top-right corner of the homepage, or the bottom right-corner on mobile.
Select “Settings & Privacy.”
Choose “Settings.”
Select “Privacy.”
Under “Privacy shortcuts,” select “Check a few important settings.”

Adjust the recommended settings, then scroll through the rest of your privacy settings and change them accordingly.

Block Certain Users

If there’s a specific person you don’t want to find you on Facebook, you can block them. Your profile won’t show up in that user’s search results and they won’t be able to visit your profile.

If you want to block a user, follow the steps below:

Visit their Facebook profile.
Press the three-dot menu.
Select “Block.”

You can unblock someone whenever you want — follow the same steps, but press “Unblock” instead of “Block.”

Should You Try to View a Private Facebook Profile?

As we mentioned earlier, there are a few legit reasons for wanting to see someone’s private Facebook information. But, if someone doesn’t want you to see their profile, it’s best to just leave it alone.

In the best case scenario, you risk upsetting the person you’re trying to view. And in the worst case scenario, you face legal consequences.

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