We all want to know who is hiding in our social media profiles, but the truth is that none of the major social media platforms will allow you to access this information – not even if you are a verified user.
Despite this, there are a plethora of third-party Instagram apps that promise:
- Shows whether another user has searched for you.
- Track which users have viewed your profile recently.
- List the followers who see your posts, even if they don’t comment or like.
To be clear, there are no way a third-party application can find this information for you. It is not tracked in any way that users – or applications they install – can access.
These fake apps and browser extensions, for sure Look convincing, however. Here’s why: They can fill their “recent views” with randomly generated lists of real accounts that are updated whenever you update the app. It’s a smart trick, but it’s still a trick. These views are not real.
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If an app or browser extension claims that it can show who’s looking at your Instagram profile or chasing your posts, it’s lying. Do not download and delete all similar applications that you have tried. Depending on how bad the low quality app in question is, it may be tracking and selling your data, overwhelming you with ads or spreading malware on your device. And even if it’s completely innocent, it won’t work anything useful.
The only way to know if someone saw your post on Instagram is if they liked or commented – or if they mentioned it to you personally. Yes, obviously you can see who saw your Instagram stories, but this is different from a normal Instagram post.
Some apps can alert you when someone stops following you. However, this is different from “tracking” who looks at your profile, since your list of followers is always accessible to you; these apps are simply alerting you to a change that would not otherwise be mentioned.
Of course, LinkedIn Premium users can get a snapshot of how many times their account has appeared in searches and a list of who has verified their profile – if they are willing to pay for it. But there are no such features available for Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter or Facebook, and whatever it promises, no app will be able to deflect its pursuers and secret admirers.
[Mashable]