Can employers see your likes, comments, and deleted posts?
Short answer: Often, yes. Some screening vendors say they review likes, comments, and reposts, not just your own posts, and comments count the same as posts. Deleted posts generally aren't visible to a new check, but copies that were already captured can still exist.
Yes, likes can show up
Some screening vendors say outright that they review more than your own posts. One vendor's SHRM directory listing says it reviews original posts, likes, comments, replies, reposts, and images across up to seven years.[1] Not every like gets reported. What gets flagged is content that matches the employer's risk categories. So a like on a post that clearly falls into a category, like a post celebrating violence or mocking a group, can be treated as an endorsement.
That matters because likes pile up quietly. Most people have never looked back through theirs, and on some platforms they can outnumber everything else you've done.
Comments count the same as posts
A comment on someone else's post is your own words, publicly attached to your name. Screening categories like harassment are often about exactly this: a heated reply aimed at a specific person.[2] In Fama's 2025 data, harassment and trolling was the most common type of flag.[3]
What about deleted posts?
A check of your public content generally sees what's public when it runs. If you've deleted something, a new check usually won't find it. But deleting doesn't undo copies that already exist: screenshots, reposts, web archives, or a screening report that was already run for another employer. Clean up before you apply, not after.
What can't they see?
Compliant vendors review public content only. They don't ask for your passwords or get into private accounts or messages.[4] But "private" is less private than it sounds. Your comments on a public page are public, your profile photo and bio usually are, and a like on a public post can show up on that post.
Examples
| Rating | Example item | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram liked post: "Wake and bake kind of Saturday" | A like on a post about marijuana use (Drugs). | |
| Facebook comment on a local news post: "You're an idiot and everyone in this town knows it." | A direct insult aimed at a specific person (Trolling / Harassment). | |
| X liked post: a sports highlight with "absolutely destroyed them" | Sports trash talk isn't violence. | |
| Instagram liked post: a friend's pregnancy announcement | Protected characteristics are never flagged. |
Illustrative examples, not from real users.
How to check your own likes and comments
Scrolling through years of likes by hand isn't realistic. Your platform data export has all of them in one place, and our export guides show how to request each one. PruneSocial scores every like and comment from the last seven years and tells you which to remove, using "Remove your like" for likes, since you can't delete someone else's post.
See what your own history looks like
PruneSocial scores supported text activity from your own account exports against publicly documented screening categories and gives you one specific cleanup action for anything flagged. Try a free 50-item preview first.
Start a free preview