Meta injecting code into websites to track its users, research says

[cbabe]

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/11/meta-injecting-code-into-websites-visited-by-its-users-to-track-them-research-says

Meta injecting code into websites to track its users, research says

Alex Hern
@alexhern
Thu 11 Aug 2022 14.11 EDT

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has been rewriting websites its users visit, letting the company follow them across the web after they click links in its apps, according to new research from an ex-Google engineer.

The two apps have been taking advantage of the fact that users who click on links are taken to webpages in an “in-app browser”, controlled by Facebook or Instagram, rather than sent to the user’s web browser of choice, such as Safari or Firefox.

“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,” says Felix Krause, a privacy researcher who founded an app development tool acquired by Google in 2017.

…

Javascript injection” – the practice of adding extra code to a webpage before it is displayed to a user – is frequently classified as a type of malicious attack. Cybersecurity company Feroot, for instance, describes it as an attack that “allows the threat actor to manipulate the website or web application and collect sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII) or payment information.

…

It is unclear when Facebook began injecting code to track users after clicking links. In recent years, the company has had a noisy public standoff with Apple, after the latter introduced a requirement for app developers to ask permission to track users across apps. After the prompt was launched, many Facebook advertisers found themselves unable to target users on the social network, ultimately leading to $10bn of lost revenue and a 26% fall in the company’s share price earlier this year, according to Meta.

[Tetrachloride]

1. I recently reviewed my use of Facebook Messenger

i need it for 1 main reason only, plus 2 backup reasons.

For the rest of you, consider deleting it.

——

Don’t use any Facebook games.

[MineralMan]

2. I absolutely never click links in Messenger,

or on Facebook, either. I only use Messenger for communicating with family and friends and for no other reason. I also refuse to click links in texts on my phone. Won't do it. Not ever. In emails, I check with the sender, if I know the sender, to make sure they sent me the link. If I don't know the sender personally, I would never click any link in any email.

So, it would be sort of hard to track me, I think. On the other hand, I do click links in Google search results. I have no doubt that Google is tracking those clicks, but I decide what to click, and don't click on unknown websites.

My point is: Don't click on links unless you're sure where you are going and that the destination is a safe one. Use the Internet for your needs, not the desires of others. Take control of your Internet usage and you can use anything you want.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

3. For anyone thinking using anything Zuckerberg creates can be done without

massive loss of privacy, please give head a big shake…they have algorithms for the clever few that even think about privacy!

Your private data is highly profitable…why are you giving it away?