Beware of Stalker Check Facebook Application Misconception

Recently, I have noticed that many of my friends had a Stalker Check Facebook Application appearing on their Facebook Home Feed. Stalker Check is a new Facebook application that lets you see who has been interacting with your Facebook Profile. If you fear that your friend has detected you as a regular stalker on their Facebook page then you do not have to worry. First off, it is against Facebook Policy for any Facebook application to help you detect who has been visiting your Facebook page. If they removed this policy then I am sure the popularity of Facebook would be in decline right now, just like Xanga a few years ago.

To confirm this, I have tried out the application myself. When you add the application, you will first see a screen like below. At first, I was quite skeptical as I thought it would be one of the ways in which a spyware spreads through Facebook.

You are then prompted to choose whether you wish to have your stalker check notices published in the news feed, which you must agree to. From what I can tell, your ’stalk ranks’ are based on how many posts and interaction you have between the person and yourself. For example, the top 5 stalkers on my list were people who recently posted a comment on my Facebook Profile. So if you are worried someone will find out that you have been stalking them then explain that the ranks are not based on the number of times you have accessed their page.

Here is an announcement by the developers themselves on how the stalker rank is judged.

Thanks everyone for your questions and comments. The list is based on a number of factors, but real interactions (wall posts, likes, comments etc) are weighted heavily. The app considers the last 200 friend interactions – for most people this means visitors over the last month.

If you do not want your friends to see your name on the stalker check list then simply block it by accessing its application page. You can find the block button under the ‘Go to Application’ button.