TikTok is a popular short-form video app that allows users to create, share, and discover short videos. Since launching in 2016, TikTok has grown to over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide.
On TikTok, all user accounts and videos are public by default. This means anyone can view your profile, your posts, and see the accounts you follow and who follows you back. However, TikTok does offer privacy settings to control profile views and limit account visibility.
This article will provide an overview of TikTok’s default privacy settings and how users can limit profile views if they wish to browse the app anonymously or restrict certain viewers. We’ll cover techniques like making your account private, using a secondary “finsta” account, and blocking specific viewers.
Why Viewers May Want to Be Anonymous
There are a few legitimate reasons why someone may want to view a TikTok profile anonymously without the account owner being notified:
Curiosity without wanting to interact – Sometimes people just want to quickly check out another user’s profile to satisfy curiosity, without any intention of liking videos or following the account. In these cases, the viewer may prefer the account owner not be notified to avoid implying interest in interacting.
Don’t want the profile owner to know they looked – Viewers may feel shy or awkward about the account owner knowing they viewed their profile. This could be due to interpersonal dynamics or not wanting to appear invasive. An anonymous view allows satisfying curiosity privately.
Stalking concerns – While most anonymous profile views come from healthy curiosity, the feature could potentially enable stalking behaviors. TikTok limits the ability to view profiles anonymously to discourage unwanted attention.
General privacy – Some viewers simply prefer to keep their viewing activity private as a matter of principle.
TikTok’s Default Settings
By default, TikTok profiles and accounts are set to public, meaning anyone on the platform can view your profile information and videos without any restrictions. Your profile, bio, likes, following list, and videos are all visible to the public with TikTok’s default settings.
This means viewers on TikTok are not anonymous – when someone views your profile or watches your videos, you can see exactly who they are if they are logged into their own TikTok account. Your viewers’ usernames are displayed publicly unless they take steps to hide their activity.
According to TikTok’s Help Center article on account privacy settings, “By default, your TikTok account is set to public.” So when you first create a TikTok account, it is automatically set to public viewing by default until you change your privacy settings.
Making Your Profile Private
The easiest way to view someone’s profile anonymously is to make your own profile private. According to TikTok’s support article, you can make your profile private by following these steps:
- Open the TikTok app and tap on your profile icon in the bottom right.
- Tap on the menu icon in the top right and select “Settings and privacy”.
- Under “Privacy”, toggle the “Private account” setting on.
Once your account is set to private, only people you approve as followers will be able to see your videos, likes, and follows. You’ll be able to view other profiles anonymously without them being notified or shown in their viewer list.
According to Business Insider, making your account private limits your visibility but allows you to control who sees your content while maintaining your anonymity when viewing others.
Using a Secondary ‘Finsta’ Account
One way to view TikTok profiles anonymously is by creating a secondary “finsta” account. Finsta stands for “fake Instagram,” and it refers to a separate, private account that users create in addition to their main profile. The purpose of a finsta is often to follow friends or celebrities anonymously without them knowing.
To create a finsta on TikTok:
- Download the TikTok app and create a new account with a different username. Many people use “finsta” plus a nickname as their finsta username (ex: finsta_ashley123).
- Do not link your phone number or other personal info that could reveal your identity.
- Follow private profiles you want to view anonymously from your finsta account.
- Be sure to log out of your main TikTok account if you want to view private profiles anonymously from your finsta. TikTok does not allow users to be logged into multiple accounts simultaneously.
The advantage of a finsta account is you can browse TikTok privately without anyone knowing it’s you. The disadvantage is that you have to log out and switch between your main and finsta accounts. Some users find this inconvenient compared to just making their main profile private.
For more on finstas, see this overview of fake TikTok and Instagram accounts.
Restricting Your Viewers List
One way to hide your profile views on TikTok is by adjusting your privacy settings to restrict who can view your profile. In your TikTok app settings, go to “Privacy” and then “Private account.” Here you can toggle your account to private. This means only your approved followers will be able to see your profile and videos.
Making your account private prevents anyone who is not a follower from looking up and viewing your profile. Essentially, it hides your profile from random viewers searching TikTok. However, your existing followers and anyone you’ve interacted with can still find and view your profile. So restricting viewers is not a foolproof way to be totally anonymous, but it does limit your public visibility.
According to TikTok’s support article on profile privacy settings (https://support.tiktok.com/en/account-and-privacy/account-privacy-settings/tiktok-profile-visit-history), “Only you can see who’s viewed your private account profile.” So making your account private prevents two-way visibility of profile views.
Using TikTok Anonymously
Accessing TikTok without an account is an easy way to view profiles and videos anonymously. Some third-party sites allow you to enter a TikTok URL to view its contents without logging in or creating an account. However, these sites often have limited functionality and may load videos slowly.
For example, sites like Tiktok Online Viewer and Urlebird allow anonymous TikTok viewing by simply entering a profile or video URL. While convenient, these sites only show limited data and don’t offer the full experience of the TikTok app.
The main drawback of anonymous TikTok viewing is the lack of interactivity. You can’t like, comment, share, or otherwise engage with any content. Anonymity comes at the cost of participation. Additionally, some videos and profiles may be restricted from anonymous viewing if the creator enables those privacy settings.
In summary, anonymous TikTok viewing gives you privacy at the expense of full functionality. It allows glimpsing content without an account but doesn’t facilitate genuine engagement with the TikTok community.
Blocking Specific Viewers
If you want to prevent a specific person from viewing your profile and content on TikTok, you can block them. Here are the steps to block another user on TikTok:
1. Go to the profile of the person you want to block.[1]
2. Tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper right corner.
3. Select “Block” from the menu.
4. Confirm that you want to block the user.
Once blocked, that user will no longer be able to view your profile or any of your content. They will also be unfollowed if they were previously following you. Blocking is mutual, so you will also no longer see that user’s profile or content.
Blocking specific people is an easy way to prevent certain viewers from accessing your TikTok presence. It gives you control over who can see your profile.
[1] https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/followers-and-following/blocking-the-users
Third-Party Apps
Some third-party apps claim to let you view TikTok profiles anonymously. Apps like TikTok Topics, TikTok Viewer, and similar services say they allow anonymous TikTok stalking without an account. However, using third-party apps to view private profiles without consent violates TikTok’s terms of service and community guidelines.
While some apps may work temporarily, TikTok often blocks them through updates. TikTok bans accounts used for unauthorized access. The apps also pose privacy and security risks by requesting permissions to harvest your data. Overall, avoiding third-party viewer apps is the safest choice to prevent policy violations, data compromise, or account bans.
Conclusion
In summary, there are several methods users can utilize to view TikTok profiles anonymously. Making your account private, restricting your viewers list, and using secondary “finsta” accounts are some of the platform’s built-in options. You can also block specific users from seeing your profile and use third-party apps to hide your viewing activity.
It’s important to be aware of your privacy settings and proactively manage who can see your profile and activity on TikTok. While the platform offers some default privacy protections, tailoring your settings and using supplemental tools gives you greater control. With so much personal information and content shared on TikTok, users should educate themselves on how their data is being accessed in order to protect their privacy.
