diff --git a/src/appState.ts b/src/appState.ts
index 7f0c19782..950ac49bc 100644
--- a/src/appState.ts
+++ b/src/appState.ts
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ export const getDefaultAppState = (): Omit<
     selectedLinearElement: null,
     userToFollow: null,
     shouldDisconnectFollowModeOnCanvasInteraction: true,
+    amIBeingFollowed: false,
   };
 };
 
@@ -212,6 +213,7 @@ const APP_STATE_STORAGE_CONF = (<
     export: false,
     server: false,
   },
+  amIBeingFollowed: { browser: false, export: false, server: false },
 });
 
 const _clearAppStateForStorage = <
diff --git a/src/components/App.tsx b/src/components/App.tsx
index b7adef66f..1d26ac966 100644
--- a/src/components/App.tsx
+++ b/src/components/App.tsx
@@ -1543,14 +1543,14 @@ class App extends React.Component<AppProps, AppState> {
       if (prevState.userToFollow) {
         this.props?.onUserFollowed?.({
           userToFollow: prevState.userToFollow,
-          action: "unsubscribe",
+          action: "unfollow",
         });
       }
 
       if (this.state.userToFollow) {
         this.props?.onUserFollowed?.({
           userToFollow: this.state.userToFollow,
-          action: "subscribe",
+          action: "follow",
         });
       }
     }
diff --git a/src/excalidraw-app/collab/Collab.tsx b/src/excalidraw-app/collab/Collab.tsx
index 3e38a8c01..0fa5fb3ed 100644
--- a/src/excalidraw-app/collab/Collab.tsx
+++ b/src/excalidraw-app/collab/Collab.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 import throttle from "lodash.throttle";
 import { PureComponent } from "react";
-import { AppState, ExcalidrawImperativeAPI, UserToFollow } from "../../types";
+import {
+  AppState,
+  ExcalidrawImperativeAPI,
+  OnUserFollowedPayload,
+} from "../../types";
 import { ErrorDialog } from "../../components/ErrorDialog";
 import { APP_NAME, ENV, EVENT } from "../../constants";
 import { ImportedDataState } from "../../data/types";
@@ -541,12 +545,8 @@ class Collab extends PureComponent<Props, CollabState> {
           case "SCROLL_AND_ZOOM": {
             const { bounds } = decryptedData.payload;
 
-            const socketId: SocketUpdateDataSource["SCROLL_AND_ZOOM"]["payload"]["socketId"] =
-              decryptedData.payload.socketId;
-
             const _appState = this.excalidrawAPI.getAppState();
-            // TODO follow-participant
-            // if (_appState.userToFollow?.clientId === socketId) {
+
             const { appState } = zoomToFitBounds({
               appState: _appState,
               bounds,
@@ -554,7 +554,6 @@ class Collab extends PureComponent<Props, CollabState> {
               viewportZoomFactor: 1,
             });
             this.excalidrawAPI.updateScene({ appState });
-            // }
 
             break;
           }
@@ -585,15 +584,16 @@ class Collab extends PureComponent<Props, CollabState> {
       scenePromise.resolve(sceneData);
     });
 
-    // TODO follow-participant
-    // set amIBeingFollowed flag
     this.portal.socket.on("broadcast-follow", () => {
-      console.log("broadcast-follow");
+      this.excalidrawAPI.updateScene({
+        appState: { amIBeingFollowed: true },
+      });
     });
-    // TODO follow-participant
-    // set amIBeingFollowed flag
+
     this.portal.socket.on("broadcast-unfollow", () => {
-      console.log("broadcast-unfollow");
+      this.excalidrawAPI.updateScene({
+        appState: { amIBeingFollowed: false },
+      });
     });
 
     this.initializeIdleDetector();
@@ -803,48 +803,44 @@ class Collab extends PureComponent<Props, CollabState> {
     CURSOR_SYNC_TIMEOUT,
   );
 
-  // TODO follow-participant
-  // only calculate this + broadcast if some flag on appState is set
-  // (eg amIBeingFollowed)
   onScrollAndZoomChange = throttle(
     (payload: { zoom: AppState["zoom"]; scroll: { x: number; y: number } }) => {
       const appState = this.excalidrawAPI.getAppState();
 
-      const { x: x1, y: y1 } = viewportCoordsToSceneCoords(
-        { clientX: 0, clientY: 0 },
-        {
-          offsetLeft: appState.offsetLeft,
-          offsetTop: appState.offsetTop,
-          scrollX: payload.scroll.x,
-          scrollY: payload.scroll.y,
-          zoom: payload.zoom,
-        },
-      );
-
-      const { x: x2, y: y2 } = viewportCoordsToSceneCoords(
-        { clientX: appState.width, clientY: appState.height },
-        {
-          offsetLeft: appState.offsetLeft,
-          offsetTop: appState.offsetTop,
-          scrollX: payload.scroll.x,
-          scrollY: payload.scroll.y,
-          zoom: payload.zoom,
-        },
-      );
-
-      this.portal.socket &&
-        this.portal.broadcastScrollAndZoom(
-          { bounds: [x1, y1, x2, y2] },
-          // TODO follow-participant
-          `follow_${this.portal.socket.id}`,
+      if (appState.amIBeingFollowed) {
+        const { x: x1, y: y1 } = viewportCoordsToSceneCoords(
+          { clientX: 0, clientY: 0 },
+          {
+            offsetLeft: appState.offsetLeft,
+            offsetTop: appState.offsetTop,
+            scrollX: payload.scroll.x,
+            scrollY: payload.scroll.y,
+            zoom: payload.zoom,
+          },
         );
+
+        const { x: x2, y: y2 } = viewportCoordsToSceneCoords(
+          { clientX: appState.width, clientY: appState.height },
+          {
+            offsetLeft: appState.offsetLeft,
+            offsetTop: appState.offsetTop,
+            scrollX: payload.scroll.x,
+            scrollY: payload.scroll.y,
+            zoom: payload.zoom,
+          },
+        );
+
+        this.portal.socket &&
+          this.portal.broadcastScrollAndZoom(
+            { bounds: [x1, y1, x2, y2] },
+            // TODO follow-participant
+            `follow_${this.portal.socket.id}`,
+          );
+      }
     },
   );
 
-  onUserFollowed = (payload: {
-    userToFollow: UserToFollow;
-    action: "subscribe" | "unsubscribe";
-  }) => {
+  onUserFollowed = (payload: OnUserFollowedPayload) => {
     this.portal.socket && this.portal.broadcastUserFollowed(payload);
   };
 
diff --git a/src/excalidraw-app/collab/Portal.tsx b/src/excalidraw-app/collab/Portal.tsx
index e1c0d399c..0fab855be 100644
--- a/src/excalidraw-app/collab/Portal.tsx
+++ b/src/excalidraw-app/collab/Portal.tsx
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import {
   FILE_UPLOAD_TIMEOUT,
   WS_SCENE_EVENT_TYPES,
 } from "../app_constants";
-import { UserIdleState, UserToFollow } from "../../types";
+import { OnUserFollowedPayload, UserIdleState } from "../../types";
 import { trackEvent } from "../../analytics";
 import throttle from "lodash.throttle";
 import { newElementWith } from "../../element/mutateElement";
@@ -248,10 +248,7 @@ class Portal {
     }
   };
 
-  broadcastUserFollowed = (payload: {
-    userToFollow: UserToFollow;
-    action: "subscribe" | "unsubscribe";
-  }) => {
+  broadcastUserFollowed = (payload: OnUserFollowedPayload) => {
     if (this.socket?.id) {
       this.socket?.emit("on-user-follow", payload);
     }
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index 4d251acaa..edc90c125 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -229,6 +229,8 @@ export type AppState = {
   userToFollow: UserToFollow | null;
   /** whether follow mode should be disconnected when the non-remote user interacts with the canvas */
   shouldDisconnectFollowModeOnCanvasInteraction: boolean;
+  /** whether the user is being followed on the canvas */
+  amIBeingFollowed: boolean;
 };
 
 export type UIAppState = Omit<
@@ -313,6 +315,11 @@ export type ExcalidrawInitialDataState = Merge<
   }
 >;
 
+export type OnUserFollowedPayload = {
+  userToFollow: UserToFollow;
+  action: "follow" | "unfollow";
+};
+
 export interface ExcalidrawProps {
   onChange?: (
     elements: readonly ExcalidrawElement[],
@@ -373,12 +380,7 @@ export interface ExcalidrawProps {
     zoom: Zoom;
     scroll: { x: number; y: number };
   }) => void;
-  // TODO follow-participant
-  onUserFollowed?: (payload: {
-    userToFollow: UserToFollow;
-    // TODO follow-participant extract to own type
-    action: "subscribe" | "unsubscribe";
-  }) => void;
+  onUserFollowed?: (payload: OnUserFollowedPayload) => void;
   children?: React.ReactNode;
 }