You may come across various websites or links on social media platforms. When you enter a website or link you see on the platform, it does not direct you to the browser you are using. Instead it redirects to the in-app browser. According to the claim, Facebook and Instagram follow their users thanks to the in-app browser. Here are the details!
Meta uses Javascript code to track movements
According to researcher Felix Krause, Facebook and Instagram use Javascript code to track your movements on the sites you visit. The researcher discovered that this code allows Meta to potentially track you on websites.
Krause sums it up this way: “The Instagram app injects tracking code into every website shown, including when clicking on ads. All user interactions such as every button and link touched; text selections, screenshots, addresses and credit card numbers can thus be viewed.”
In the research, Krause focused on the iOS versions of Instagram and Facebook. However, it turned out that the codes also work on Android. In this case, there may be a violation of Apple’s Application Tracking Transparency (ATT) in iOS 15.4, which provides application permissions and comprehensive privacy control.
According to Meta, the tracking code adapts to users’ ATT preferences. A spokesperson made a statement in response to the claim. “The code allows us to collect user data before using it for targeted advertising or measurement purposes. We do not add any pixels. The code is injected so that we can collect the events of the return from the pixels. We ask for user consent to save payment information for autofill for in-app purchases made via browser.”
Also, Krause noted that Facebook does not necessarily use Javascript injection to collect sensitive data. However, injecting the code would not be possible if the applications opened the browser of choice, such as Safari, Chrome or Firefox.
So, what do you think about this subject? What do you think is the reason for this situation? Don’t forget to share your views with us in the comments!
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