And if you click on them, you are more likely to lose your own account (or your identity) than you are to see someone else’s vacation photos.

This article is the definitive guide to understanding why "private profile viewers" are a myth, how hackers exploit this curiosity, and the three legitimate ways to view a private profile without breaking the law. Before we debunk the tools, we need to understand the demand.

When you view a profile, your browser sends a request to Facebook’s server: "Give me the data for user ID #12345."

If a tool claims to break Facebook's privacy, it is actually trying to break your security. Disclaimer: This article is for educational and cybersecurity awareness purposes only. The author does not endorse or encourage any attempt to bypass Facebook's privacy controls. Unauthorized access to computer systems is a crime.

In a moment of frustration, you open Google and type: or "best private profile viewer for Facebook."