According to a developer, Instagram and Facebook put tracking codes into open websites without asking. The Meta Group defends itself against the allegations.
Austrian developer Felix Krauss claims to have discovered that there is a security issue in the meta group. Accordingly, the company smuggled the tracking code into websites open through the app’s internal browser on Facebook and Instagram without asking. This allows the group to track the activities of its users with external websites, Krause writes on his blog, The company denies. This app is tracking transparency code.
According to Cross, Meta pastes the code into any webpage viewed in the in-app browser on iOS, even when users click on ads from the Instagram or Facebook apps. This enables the group to monitor all user interactions.
This also included form entries like passwords, addresses and credit card details, cross reports on his blog. With one billion active Instagram users, the amount of data the company can collect is enormous, they write.
Use web versions of the network
What can users do? Krause advises that you only open websites on Facebook and Instagram on iOS via Safari, rather than the app’s internal browser. Most apps provide “Open link in external browser” option. Otherwise, the web version of the two networks can also be used.
According to Krauss, he confronted Meta with his research and received a message that the company was able to “reproduce their problem.” In the weeks that followed, the group did not comment further. So they decided to make their information public, Krause writes.
