With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. While many people use Facebook to connect with friends and family, share photos, and find out news and information, some prefer to lurk on the site anonymously without being seen by others.
There are several ways to use Facebook privately so that you can view profiles and posts without anyone knowing you are there. Here are some tips on how to be on Facebook and remain totally invisible to other users.
Make Your Account Private
The first step to being anonymous on Facebook is to make your own profile private. Go to your Facebook Settings and under the Privacy tab, restrict who can see your friends list, posts, photos and other information. Set these all to “Only Me” so only you can view them.
Also turn off search engine indexing in your Facebook privacy settings so your profile won’t show up in Google searches. Deactivate the Allow Friends of Friends and Do You Know features under Privacy as well so friends of friends can’t find you in their “People You May Know” sections.
Remove Personal Details from Your Profile
To further protect your identity, remove any personal details from your profile such as your address, workplace, phone number, family members etc. Also use a profile picture that does not show your face.
Only fill out the minimal information required to create an account. The less personal information tied to your profile, the harder it will be for people to identify you.
Don’t Add Friends
To remain completely invisible on Facebook, don’t add any friends. Having friends makes it easier for others to find you through friend searches and mutual friends lists.
If you don’t add any friends to your account, your profile will not show up in other user’s friend recommendations or People You May Know lists. Without any friends linking to you, you’ll just be an anonymous profile lurking invisibly.
Browse Facebook Anonymously
Once your profile is completely private, you can browse Facebook anonymously without anyone knowing you are there. Here are some ways to use Facebook in stealth mode:
Search for Profiles Without an Account
You don’t need a Facebook account to search for many public profiles and pages. You can access a lot of content by going directly to facebook.com from a browser not logged into Facebook and searching for specific names, businesses or groups.
Much of the content on public profiles and pages will be visible to you even without an account. The advantage of this method is there’s no profile linked to your browsing at all.
View Profiles in Incognito Mode
Your browser’s incognito or private browsing mode is another way to browse Facebook without leaving a trace. Open an incognito window and navigate to Facebook to view profiles and pages.
Your activity during that browsing session won’t be saved in your browser history. Once you close the incognito window, it will be like you were never there.
Don’t Interact with Any Content
To be a complete Facebook ninja, don’t interact with any content when logged into your stealth account. Don’t like, comment on or share any posts even anonymously. This activity can still show up to the original poster and potentially expose you.
Never access Facebook from an account with your real identity at the same time as your private account. Logging in from the same device or IP address can also link the accounts together.
Monitor Friends Anonymously
Having a private account allows you to secretly monitor and keep tabs on friends, acquaintances and other people you want to view on the network without them knowing.
You can watch their profiles, photos, videos and posts as they add them. Just don’t interact with anything they do or it could create a notification alerting them to your presence.
Advanced Options for Anonymous Browsing
For those who want to take their Facebook anonymity to the next level, there are some additional precautions you can take.
Use a VPN or Proxy
Browsing Facebook through a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or proxy server can hide your IP address and location. The VPN encrypts your web traffic so that Facebook only sees the IP of the VPN server, not your actual IP.
Free browser extensions like Hola VPN or paid services like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost are good options. Just be sure to choose a server located far away from your real location.
Set Up a Separate Anonymous Account
The most private way to browse Facebook is by establishing a completely separate stealth account. Register for this account using an alternate anonymous email from Guerrilla Mail or a similar disposable email provider.
Only access this stealth account away from your home IP address like on public Wi-Fi or a computer not linked to you. This makes it almost impossible to be identified by Facebook or anyone you view.
Use the Tor Browser
The Tor browser routes your web traffic through a series of randomized nodes in its volunteer network to conceal your identity. Using Tor makes it very difficult for Facebook or anyone else to track your browsing.
The downside is pages load slower through Tor. But if you want to be completely invisible, it’s one of your best options.
Conclusion
Browsing Facebook anonymously requires making your own account private, restricting personal information and being careful about interacting with any posts or profiles. Additional privacy tools like VPNs, proxies and Tor will hide your IP and conceal your identity further.
With the right precautions, you can lurk on Facebook like a stealth ninja viewing profiles and activity without leaving a trace. Just be aware that Facebook’s terms require users to provide their real identity, so completely anonymous accounts do violate its rules.