View Private Profile
"I have my Myspace page set to private, but an ex-friend has gotten access to all of my Myspace friends that are on my page, and is emailing them. I asked him about this and he told me that he found a way to view private Myspace pages and he also said he can view my friends. How is this possible, and is there a way to prevent people from viewing a private Myspace profile?"
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Is a Private Myspace Profile Really Private?
Myspace offers members the option to designate an account as public or private. When you choose to have a private page, only those people that you have selected as Myspace friends can view your profile, the friends list, comments, etc. To make your page private, login to Myspace, click on Account Settings, click on Privacy Settings, then choose the My Friends Only setting in the Who Can View My Full Profile section. The full profile will now be visible ONLY to logged-in Myspace members who are on your Friends list.
That's the theory anyway... but in actual practice, a surprising number of "hacks" have been discovered that allow anyone to view information on Myspace pages that was supposed to be private. If you do a bit of searching, you can find websites that list these so-called URL hacks and give simple instructions to generate a web address (URL) that will reveal information on "private" profiles. Some hacks display the friends list on a private page, others reveal the comments and photos posted there. Typically, all you need to do is plug in the "friendID" of the private profile and everything you thought was hidden is open kimono.
It seems that new Myspace security flaws are discovered almost weekly, and posted to a number of "How to Hack Myspace" sites. Myspace has smartened up a bit and now monitors these sites, because the holes are usually closed in days or hours after being reported. I won't mention any specific URL hacks here, because they are found and fixed so quickly. But if you're curious, check out the Joy Boner or Grown Up Geek sites to follow the action.
There have been hacks that allowed unauthorized access to EVERYTHING in a private profile, but to my knowledge these have all been fixed. But there are hacks RIGHT NOW that can reveal the friends list, photos, comments and blog entries on a private profile to ANYONE capable of rubbing two URLs together. It's kind of like an arms race, where the bad guys hack away at Myspace, brag about the security holes they discover, and Myspace patches them up. Lather, rinse, repeat...
Bottom line: Don't count on Myspace to keep ANYTHING private. Think of your Myspace page as a public forum which can be viewed by anyone in the world, and refrain from posting anything personal there.
Got something to say about Myspace and privacy? Post your comments below...
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Posted by Bob Rankin on January 9, 2007 08:17 PM
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Most recent comments on "View Private Profile"
(See all 50 comments for this article.)|
Posted by:
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So just so I'm clear, there is currently no "free/public" working code or hack to view a private myspace pages or pics? EDITOR'S NOTE: That's the truth, as far as I know. |
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Great article. I want to access private profiles for one simple reason. For the longest time, I've suspected that numerous sites actually allow some Activists to spam their site. While denying friendship to anyone having anything to do with "Fathers Rights". I've already seen this, in action. And remember, many Artists (etc.) select friends, while using someone else's identity. |
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actually just go to www.unlockprivateprofiles.cm and do it easy. EDITOR'S NOTE: Bzzzt. Bzzzt!! BZZZT!!! Looks like a major scam. |
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The page style thing doesnt work anymore. EDITOR'S NOTE: Seems to work the same as ever on my page... |
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Hi Bob. There are no hacks that I can think of, but maybe if we were to find out in the private profile's page script where that "private" part is and modify it, then copy and paste that code, maybe we can find a loophole. People are so fixed on codes, but don't realize that the answers are all in the script. EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm sure the code that creates the page is on the server side, so unless you're planning to hack into the Myspace web servers, that approach won't work. |
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Posted by:
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http://viewmorepix.com seems to work for private pics |
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Posted by:
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well there's no way to see a private profile or pics, vids still work along with a few other, including seeing their 'default pic' at full size. |
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To set your 2.0 profile to private, go to "Customize Profile." After you are there, move your mouse over one of the modules. At the top of the module you should see four different icons and one of them is a lock. Click the lock and a box will appear. It will ask you who do you want to be able to view this module and click which ever bubble you would like. For ex: You want your "Interests" module to only be viewable by your friends. Run your mouse over the interests module, click the lock at the top and then click the bubble that says "Friends only" then click apply changes at the bottom of the box |
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Posted by:
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I need to see someone's private pics on facebook and myspace for legal reasons. My son's dad owes HUGE in childsupport and having pictures of what he's spennding money on would help my attorney! EDITOR'S NOTE: Unlikely... "That boat? Oh it belongs to my friend." |
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If somebody's profile is set to private, does the view count go up even tho you don't actually see the profile? EDITOR'S NOTE: I can think of an easy way to find out... try it! |
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- View Private Profile (Posted: January 9, 2007 08:17 PM)
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