How To View Someone Else’s Browsing History

The internet has provided people with access to troves of information. It is an unfortunate truth, however, that it has also opened doors to various threats and inappropriate content. This has become a great concern among people, especially parents and employers.

Peoples’ internet activities, including their browsing and search history, are private. An invasion of such privacy may be subject to monetary and criminal penalties. However, there are valid and legal reasons for checking or tracking browsing history including the following:

Children’s Safety

Kids nowadays are very tech-savvy and add to that a dose of recklessness and impulse and it could be a recipe for disaster. Parents can monitor their children’s browsing history to ensure that they are not visiting inappropriate sites or engaging in suspicious and possibly harmful online communities. 

Track Suspicious Activities 

Your spouse or any other family member may be acting weirdly or suspiciously so a quick check on their browsing history may give you some clues as to why. This does not only cover your spouse’s possible cheating, but signs someone is depressed or suicidal. 

Oversee Employees’ Online Activities

An employer must ensure that their employees are using their time productively and do not compromise the company’s security or situation by visiting inappropriate and non-work-related sites. As an employer, you may want to consult your legal advisor to ensure that such monitoring is legal.

Several Ways To Check On Someone’s Browser History

There are several ways to monitor one’s browsing history. There are both free and paid options, but always choose the method that best fits your needs and purpose. Here are some ways to check on someone’s browsing history.

Check On PC

This method is fairly easy if you share a family computer or laptop, or if you have access to their devices. To check a browser’s history, such as on Google Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, you simply need to know how to navigate and operate it. Or, you need to have access to the account logged in on their browser. For example, you may need the Google account credentials of your kids or spouse to check on the google activity and google history. 

Check On iPhone

You can also check someone’s browsing history on their cell phone. On iPhone, you could go to the Settings then locate and tap on the Safari App. Then, scroll down and tap on the Advanced → Website Data. You may also want to check on the phone for other web browsers they may be using other than Safari. 

Check On Android Phone

One way to check the browsing history on Android phones is to go to Settings and then tap on Apps. Select Default Apps → Browser to find out which is the default web browser. This would also show any other browsers on that device. You could then go to that browser and check the browsing history.

For example, if the default browser is Google Chrome, launch the app on the device. Tap on the Menu or the three dots. Click on History and then go through the browsing history.

Check Through Monitoring Apps

An effective and convenient way to check on someone’s browsing history is by using reliable monitoring or spy apps. There are a lot of these on the market so make sure to be thorough in selecting which one to use. Some things you may want to consider are the services and features offered, compatibility, and price. If you do purchase a spy app, opt for one that offers a one-time payment versus a monthly or yearly subscription. 

Spy apps will let you check the target device’s browsing history remotely. Some of the data they may retrieve includes browsing history logs with time and date stamps, most frequently visited sites, and the URLs of the visited sites. You may also be able to set up keyword alerts if something specific is searched on a web browser. Such apps also allow viewing of Google activities, emails, WhatsApp messages, social media platforms, contacts, phone logs, texts, email, and more.

Checking someone else’s browsing history must never be done just out of curiosity. It is important to value and respect someone’s online privacy. If you are a parent, you may want to discuss device limitations and rules from the get-go with your kids. You might also want to discuss using a parental control app to ensure your family’s security.

If you do opt to use browsing history trackers, be sure to choose one that lives up to its promise and does not compromise your data security and privacy.