With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. However, concerns around privacy, safety and protecting children have led some users to want to find out who is behind certain TikTok accounts.
TikTok collects a significant amount of user data and has faced scrutiny over how that data is handled, including allegations of data sharing with the Chinese government. According to a Kaspersky report, TikTok gathers information like location, browsing history, and contacts. This raises privacy concerns, especially for minors using the app.
In addition, anonymous accounts on TikTok could be used to cyberbully or groom children. Parents may want to identify who is behind accounts interacting with their kids. Finding the person behind a TikTok account can allow users to assess if an account seems trustworthy or poses a potential safety risk.
Overall, the desire for increased transparency around who is operating TikTok accounts stems from valid worries about privacy violations, predatory behavior, and misinformation spread on the platform.
View the Profile
The easiest way to find basic information about a TikTok account is to simply go to their profile page. On TikTok, tap on the profile icon in the bottom right corner, then search for the username of the account you want to investigate. This will take you to that TikTok user’s public profile.
On a user’s profile, you can view information like their display name, bio, profile picture, and posted videos. However, this gives limited insight into who is behind the account. You won’t be able to see details like their real name, location, email address or IP address just from the profile.
Viewing a profile does not notify the user or show up in their notifications. According to TikTok’s support page, “Only you can see the profiles you’ve visited in your Profile views” (source). So browsing a profile remains anonymous.
Check Previous Usernames
One way to uncover who is behind a TikTok account is to check if the profile shows any previously used usernames. TikTok displays a list of past usernames directly on a user’s public profile, under the current handle.
This feature can help reveal connections between different accounts or provide clues about the person’s identity. For example, if you recognize an old username that links the account to someone you know, that’s a clear sign of who is behind it.
The profile may also show usernames that link to other social media platforms. If the past username matches their Instagram or Twitter handle, you can look up the name on those networks.
According to TikTok’s support page, the app shows up to 8 previously used handles. However, this depends on when the usernames were changed. TikTok only displays past usernames from the last 30 days.
If none of the previous handles offer any clues, this method reaches a dead end. But it’s still worth quickly checking as the first step in unmasking an anonymous TikTok account.
Look for Other Social Media
Many TikTok users will link to their other social media profiles in their TikTok bio or profile description. This is an easy way to connect the dots between a TikTok account and a user’s identity on other platforms like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc. Simply click on the TikTok profile and scroll down looking for any linked social media usernames or profile links.
Users often have similar or identical usernames across platforms, so if you find an Instagram link in their TikTok bio, that same @username may lead you to their Instagram page. You can then look for clues about their identity on other networks. Just keep in mind that not every TikTok user links other accounts, so this technique isn’t foolproof. But checking their bio for connected profiles is one of the simplest starting points for uncovering who’s behind a TikTok account.
Do a Reverse Image Search
One way to uncover the identity behind a TikTok account is by doing a reverse image search on the profile picture. Services like Reverse Image Search, Social Catfish, and Duplichecker allow you to upload or enter the URL of an image to find other instances of that image across the web. If the profile picture is used elsewhere under the person’s real name or other identifiable information, it can help reveal who is behind the TikTok account.
To do this, save or screenshot the profile picture from the TikTok account in question. Then upload or enter the image URL into the reverse image search tool. Look through the search results to see if the profile photo is associated with social media profiles, news articles, or other pages that identify the person. With a unique profile photo, you may be able to connect it to the actual person behind the anonymous TikTok handle.
Reverse image searching the profile picture can be a useful way to look for clues about the owner of a TikTok account. However, it’s not foolproof – the person may use a unique profile photo just for their TikTok. But it’s worth trying as one strategy to potentially find out who is behind a TikTok profile.
Analyze Video Content
One way to potentially uncover clues about the person behind a TikTok account is to closely analyze the video content they have posted. Look for any landmarks, street signs, architecture, or other distinguishing background details that might indicate a geographical location. For example, a frequently recurring local building or neighborhood could suggest they live nearby.
Also check if the user has enabled geotagging for their videos. This allows viewers to see the precise longitude and latitude of where a video was recorded if the user opted in to location tagging. You can toggle this on/off in the TikTok app settings. If enabled, this gives a pinpoint area of where videos were filmed which may help narrow down where the user is based if multiple videos show the same neighborhood.
Additionally, listen closely to any ambient sounds or voices in videos that might contain accents or other auditory clues about the surroundings and people associated with the account owner. Analyzing the actual video content itself can potentially provide pieces to the puzzle.
Check LIked Videos
Who and what a TikTok user engages with by liking or commenting can reveal information about the person behind the account. TikTok allows you to see all the comments you have liked on the platform.
To view your liked comments:
- Go to your profile page
- Tap the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner
- Select “Liked comments” from the drop-down menu
This will show you a feed of all the comments you have liked. Pay attention to the types of videos the comments are on and what the comments say. This can give insight into the interests, views, and personality of the person running the account. For example, liking funny comments may suggest they have a good sense of humor.
You can also tap on each comment to see the full video it was posted on. Seeing what types of videos the account engages with through likes and comments can reveal useful information about the person behind the profile.
Use Third-Party Tools
There are various third-party tools that can provide insights into a TikTok account, with some limitations. Services like SocialBlade show basic analytics like number of followers, views, likes, and comments over time [1]. However, they only reveal publicly available data and cannot uncover private account details.
The main issue with using third-party services is potential Terms of Service violations. TikTok’s TOS prohibits scraping user data or reverse engineering the app [2]. So analytics providers may violate TOS by collecting data, and users risk account suspensions by using them. It’s best to avoid tools that claim to reveal private analytics.
Third-parties can also be inaccurate if TikTok intentionally obscures metrics. Overall, these tools offer limited visibility and come with risks. For basic stats they may help, but tread carefully to avoid TOS violations that could get accounts banned.
Hire a Private Investigator
As a last resort, you can hire a licensed private investigator to uncover the person behind a TikTok account. Private investigators have access to databases and investigative techniques that aren’t available to the general public. This includes having access to public records, being able to conduct interviews, and utilizing various tracking strategies.
However, hiring a private investigator can be very expensive, with costs typically starting at $50-100 per hour. It should only be considered for situations where uncovering the account owner is absolutely necessary, like for legal proceedings. Most private investigators will require some proof of probable cause before taking on a case as well.
According to Private Investigator Agency in Los Angeles, “Our private investigators utilize the most cutting edge research tools along with proven traditional investigation techniques to get the answers you are looking for.” They advertise having over 97% success rate in locating people online.https://www.tiktok.com/discover/hired-private-investigator
So if you have exhausted all other options, hiring a professional private investigator may be the last chance to find out who is behind a TikTok account. But it comes at a high price and there’s no guarantee of success.
Contact TikTok
For serious concerns about a TikTok account, such as harassment, bullying, or other threats, you can try contacting TikTok directly to request they investigate the account and potentially reveal the owner’s information. According to TikTok’s Contact page, you can email them at [email protected] for matters that require legal assistance.
However, TikTok typically only releases personal account details to law enforcement officials conducting an active investigation. For regular users filing complaints, TikTok will investigate and can suspend accounts violating their rules, but may not reveal private user information without a subpoena.
There are also limitations on what information TikTok stores about account owners that could be shared. They may not have legal names, addresses, or other real identity details, especially if the account uses a pseudonym. Overall, contacting TikTok directly can be helpful for certain serious cases, but average users have limited ability to uncover anonymous account owners this way.
