In-App Browsers of Facebook and Instagram Are Capable of Tracking Users' Activity Online, Research Says

Joseph Henry, Tech Times 12 August 2022, 07:08 am

The latest research suggests that Meta's Facebook and Instagram are tracking users' activity through the in-app browser.

This means these social media apps can know your screenshots, email address and password input, and more information across the websites, thanks to the tracking code.

Meta is Tracking Users on iOS

In-App Browsers of Facebook, Instagram Are Capable of Tracking Users' Activity Online, Research Says

(Photo : Solen Feyissa from Unsplash)
Facebook and Instagram are tracking your online activities without you knowing.

According to a recent report by Engadget, Felix Krause, an open-source researcher, said that Meta could actually track the users' activities on the websites by injecting a javascript code on the pages.

"The Instagram app injects their tracking code into every website shown, including when clicking on ads, enabling them [to] monitor all user interactions, like every button and link tapped, text selections, screenshots, as well as any form inputs, like passwords, addresses, and credit card numbers," Krause wrote on its recent blog post.

Once you click a link in the app, the social media giant can gather your interactions and identify them. As such, it can detect your screenshots and text selections.

Additionally, it can also track your text input, especially when you're typing your credit card information and password on the websites. In short, the company can reveal your private interactions without your permission.

In particular, the tracking mechanism targets those people who use Facebook and IG on iOS through the custom in-app browser.

Why is this Alarming For Social Media Users?

Instead of relying on the built-in Safari browser of Apple, Meta wants to establish its own in-app browser for its users. As per the Facebook maker, "Meta Pixel," a javascript code can monitor the events happening within the browser.

Despite this, there's no strong proof that Meta also stores all the user data that it collects from the tracking code.

However, what's alarming is that it bypasses Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy. The Cupertino giant has built a reputation for fostering the safety of the user's data online by asking the people's permission if they want their information to get tracked across websites.

If that's the case, then Meta has all the freedom to keep all the sensitive details at their will.

It should be noted that the ATT policy has become a hurdle for Facebook since it costs the company $10 billion annually.

The two companies have a history of issues regarding this topic. Meta has previously opposed this implementation since it negatively impacted its ad revenue, per Macrumors.

Upon learning this analysis, some people said that no one should trust Facebook. Surprisingly, another person commented that FB tracks every user, even those who do not use their apps. According to him, you can check it out on your browser cookies.

Last year, the app tracking transparency did not only hit Meta. The privacy changes also hurt other notable firms in the tech industry, including Twitter, Snap, and YouTube.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry