TikTok sparks alarm by telling people about apps that track your online stalking habits

Can you really see who has been stalking your Instagram? That’s the question one TikToker raised after posting a viral video.

TikToker Tina (tina.hanna_) uploaded a clip with the on-screen text: “When you’re mid stalking someone’s Insta and remember some people have apps to let them see who’s on their page.”

Since the clip was posted, it has garnered 585,000 views, 89,000 likes, and 1,100 comments.One viewer wrote: “Yeah and if they have the app it’s more embarrassing for them.”

Another said: “Lmao i tell myself that those apps are scams and aren’t accurate to make myself feel better.”

“Most of these apps aren’t 100% accurate and are random!” said another.

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However, some claim the apps work. One commenter said they purchased an app for $5 a month, and it apparently showed them who was “stalking [their] account repeatedly”.

Another claim they were “caught and called out”.

So do they work? Unfortunately for the detectives amongst us, it would appear not.

A recent report from Reader’s Digest found that there is no way to know who viewed your profile.

“Anything advertising a feature that shows who viewed your profile would not be a legitimate service and should be avoided as it is likely just an app that is there to collect data for those who use it,” Alex Heid, Chief Research and Development Officer at SecurityScorecard told Reader’s Digest.

A more reliable way of gauging who is looking at your Instagram is to post stories and see who interacts.

Once you post a story, you’ll see a list of everyone who has viewed it for 24 hours.

Despite rumours that the list of viewers on your story is ordered by who interacts with you the most, it’s actually the opposite, Instagram Home product lead Julian Gutman told The Verge.

Is Instagram revealing my stalkers?www.youtube.com

Although you might not be able to see who has viewed your Instagram, there are legitimate apps that can tell you who has followed and unfollowed you. This information is already public but would be a time-consuming task to undertake manually.

A business account allows you to have access to more analytics, such as the number of accounts that engaged with your content, but you won’t see a list of usernames.

Lurkers, rejoice.

This isn’t the first time Instagram has been in the headlines this week.

Big news from the app includes the new ability to like a story without sending a DM, and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo becoming the first to reach 400 million followers.

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