The in-app browser of several meta-apps is said to have been used for unwanted tracking – a well-known security issue.
Social media giant Meta is facing two new class action lawsuits in the US related to its iOS apps. Two users feel that the company is illegally spied on via the integrated browser and are demanding compensation. There may also be more consequences by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), according to a report by Mashable.
Browser can track user behavior
In the official iPhone applications for Instagram and Facebook there is a so-called in-app browser. This is called up as soon as you click on links within the two social networks. The security researcher Felix Krause found out in August that Meta integrates a so-called meta pixel into every page accessed. It can potentially be recorded when an ad is clicked, a button or link is pressed, text is selected, screenshots are taken or entries are made – including potentially passwords and credit card information if you enter them. Meta defended itself against the allegations and stated that it adheres to Apple’s data protection requirements (App Tracking Transparency) and, according to its own statements, uses the pixel only to track advertising success.
Meta emphasized that they developed their code “to support users’ decisions about app tracking transparency [ATT] According to Meta, the technology is intended, among other things, to “aggregate user data in order to use it for targeted advertising and measurement purposes”. Users can only avoid possible browser snooping by manually clicking links in the standard iPhone browser Go to Safari, which is inconvenient and therefore rarely done.”Fact is, the iOS Instagram app executes JavaScript code on all external websites that are displayed within the Instagram app using the in-app WebView”, so Krause to Mac & i.
Two lawsuits in San Francisco
the both lawsuits in the United States were filed in San Francisco. They each come from users who have been supported by specialized law firms. Both require that they be given class action status; it is also possible that the competent judges will combine the lawsuits since they contain a similar allegation. Users said Facebook defied Apple’s privacy policy, introduced in 2021, and also violated federal and state law prohibiting the unauthorized collection of personal information.
A Meta spokesman told Bloomberg the lawsuits were unfounded. They designed their in-app browser to “respect users’ privacy choices.” This also applies to use for advertisements. In fact, Meta suffers massively from Apple’s ATT. The group is said to make billions less in sales than before the introduction of data protection technology. However, Meta is not the only company that uses tricks with the in-app browser: According to Krause, TikTok also tracks in this way – and practically does not allow you to switch to the snoop-free Safari browser.
