Facebook allows users to view a wide variety of videos from different sources directly within the Facebook app or website. As you watch videos on Facebook, information about your viewing history and habits is collected and stored by Facebook.
This raises an important question – can other people see what videos you have watched on Facebook? The short answer is maybe. There are certain scenarios in which parts of your Facebook video viewing history could be visible to others, but in most cases your full video history is private.
Facebook Video Privacy Settings
The visibility of your Facebook video viewing history depends on your privacy settings. Facebook allows you to control who can see your video viewing activity:
- Public: Anyone can see the videos you’ve watched
- Friends: Only your friends can see the videos you’ve watched
- Only Me: Your video viewing history is private
By default, only you can see the full list of videos you have watched on Facebook. This setting is under “Videos You’ve Watched” in your Facebook Activity Log. However, certain video viewing activity may still be visible to others depending on your other privacy settings.
Visible Video History
Here are some ways that parts of your Facebook video viewing history may be visible to others:
Friends and pages you’ve interacted with
If you like, share, or comment on a video from a friend or Page on Facebook, that interaction may be visible to mutual friends or the broader public, depending on your settings. For example, if you comment on a video posted by a friend, that friend can see that you watched and engaged with their video.
Videos others tag you in
If someone tags you in a video on Facebook, that video will be added to your history. The video and tag will be visible to whoever the original video was shared with.
Videos in your News Feed
Videos that appear in your Facebook News Feed are public within your network. So if you watch a video directly in your News Feed, friends may be able to see that you’ve watched that video.
Public Pages and profiles
If you watch a video that was posted publicly on a Page or another user’s profile, the fact that you watched it may be visible to others. Pages in particular have access to analytics on who has viewed their videos.
Facebook search history
Facebook maintains search history and may use that data to personalize the ads and content you see. So if you search for and watch a lot of videos about a certain topic, that information could impact the visibility of those videos to you moving forward.
Full Video History Still Private
So while parts of your video viewing behavior may be visible in certain scenarios, your full history of every video you have watched on Facebook remains private in most cases.
The “Videos You’ve Watched” section of your Facebook Activity Log shows all of your video views across Facebook and is only visible to you by default. This history can help you find videos you want to watch again or pick up where you left off.
There are only two scenarios where someone else could access your full video history:
- You intentionally choose to share your full history with someone else.
- A hacker gains access to your account.
As always, it’s smart to be thoughtful about your privacy settings and who you choose to share information with on Facebook.
How to Limit Video History Visibility
If you want to limit the visibility of your Facebook video viewing activity, here are a few tips:
Adjust your privacy settings
Restrict your “Videos You’ve Watched” history to be visible to “Only Me.” You can also limit status updates, posts, and other interactions to smaller audiences like friends instead of public.
Watch videos privately
If you want to watch a video without anyone knowing, watch it on the content creator’s page directly rather than your News Feed. You can also use private browsing mode which won’t log your history.
Delete videos from your history
You can remove specific videos from your history in your Activity Log. Just click on the “X” on the video thumbnail. This will delete it from your view history.
Turn off future logging
In your Facebook Activity Log, you can toggle future video history logging off entirely. This will prevent any new videos you watch from being added to your history going forward.
Conclusion
In summary, your full Facebook video viewing history is private by default but elements of video watching activity can be visible based on your interactions and privacy settings. Adjust these settings if you want to limit the visibility of your video history. The videos you actually watch across Facebook remain fully visible only to you in most cases.
| Video History Visibility | Details |
|---|---|
| Full video history | Only visible to you by default |
| Videos with interactions | Visible to those interactions were shared with |
| Tagged videos | Visible to audience video shared with |
| News Feed videos | Visible to friends/network |
| Public Page/Profile videos | Page owner has viewing analytics |
Facebook collects a vast amount of data on its users, including your activity across its platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and more. While Facebook states that they do not sell your personal information to third parties, the data they collect helps serve personalized ads and content.
When it comes to your video watch history specifically, Facebook considers it private information that belongs to you. However, aspects of your viewing behavior do influence the experiences Facebook tries to deliver to you across its apps.
Overall, treat your video watch history like other activity on Facebook – be cautious about what you engage with publicly if you don’t want it associated back to you. Take advantage of privacy controls if you want to limit visibility. And as with anything online, always think before you click, share, or upload!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Facebook see my video history?
Yes. Facebook collects and stores your full video viewing history across its platforms in order to understand your interests and personalize your news feed and advertising experience. However, Facebook states that it will not share your personal video history data with any other individuals or third-party companies.
Can Facebook use my video history for ads?
Facebook may use your video viewing history and activity to infer your interests and preferences and target relevant advertising to you. For example, if you watch a lot of cooking videos, you may see more ads for cooking-related products. However, Facebook maintains that your personal information is not shared with any advertisers directly.
Can someone download my Facebook video history?
No, there is no way for someone else to download or export your full Facebook video viewing history. Only you have access to your complete history in your Activity Log. However, video views associated with your public interactions may be downloaded by other users.
Can I delete my Facebook video history?
Yes, you can manually delete specific videos from your history in your Facebook Activity Log. You can also turn off future video history logging if you don’t want Facebook collecting any more of your video viewing activity.
Can Facebook tell if I watch a video?
Yes. Any video played directly through Facebook will automatically be logged in your video viewing history, whether you watch it fully or just a portion of it. Facebook can see details like duration of viewing time for each video.
Are private Facebook videos recorded in history?
Yes, any video you view on Facebook will be added to your video viewing history, whether the video is public or private.
Can I see someone else’s video history?
No. A user’s full video viewing history is only visible to themselves on Facebook. You cannot access the full history of videos watched by your friends or other connections on Facebook.
In Conclusion
Facebook collects a broad range of data on its users, including a complete video viewing history across its platforms. They use this information ostensibly to improve experiences and serve relevant content. At the same time, full transparency into personal data collection remains an ongoing discussion.
When it comes to your video watching activity specifically, you have control over many privacy settings that dictate visibility. In most cases, your full video history remains private and you have tools to refine what types of activity gets logged moving forward.
Understanding visibility and being thoughtful about your own sharing is key to maintaining privacy. But users should also consider advocating for broader regulations and controls around user data handling if transparency and consent are priorities.