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How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

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Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#151

Post by detaro »

ziont wrote: post #112
jradd wrote: post #105

Wrangling 3rd party application access to platform providers' suite (ios, android, browser extensions). Cookies seem to be the majority of the aggregate identity/behavior data, which you can use various rules in the protocol to limit tracking to some extent. I've found that opting out on a regular basis of the large adverts for a little extra peace of mind. uBlock/uMatrix Origin, ghostery, duck.com, dns encryption, v…

one thing that irks me is ppl blindly suggesting duckduckgo over google DDG is fucking horrible It doesn't work. I'm almost always going back to Google. There should be a service that searches Google for you behind 7 proxies.

startpage.com as far as I know is a wrapper around Google results.

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#152

Post by beagle3 »

pointillistic wrote: post #143
Spooky23 wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They use geolocation extensively. You probably were in proximity long enough to have triggered something. You never know — your friends daughter may have been in the same line somewhere at the airport or a lounge as well. I used to get this a lot as I’m 1-2 degrees of separation from some highish profile people. FB seems to adapt and move on to a different strategy over time.

I don't have the app on my phone so how do they use geolocation? Perhaps as this article describes?

You might have another app using the FB SDK (as described in the app).

Or .. they have a database from mobile IP to rough location - or even, without knowing your exact location, perhaps both of you were using the same convention free WiFi, or the same Verizon proxy (or whatever), which would indicate close proximity even without giving the location directly.

Are you using iphone or android?

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#153

Post by scarface74 »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #147
scarface74 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And we have 30+ years of user behavior of computer users and almost 10 years of mobile user behavior with Android to know that most users aren’t going to give “extra scrutiny” to those applications and are just going to click “allow”. And even if “security researchers” do find an issue with an Android app, how does that information get disseminated to users? Even if Google decides to close the hole, Android doesn’t e…

> And we have 30+ years of user behavior of computer users and almost 10 years of mobile user behavior with Android to know that most users aren’t going to give “extra scrutiny” to those applications and are just going to click “allow”. A much better example is the massive XCodeGhost infection on the app store. Apple relies entirely on users for figuring out if things are misbehaving, while Android also has automated…

By having the app removed from the store. Which Apple is unable to do because it doesn't allow third party security researchers to scrutinize its app store. This resulted in the massive XCodeGhost infection, which Apple couldn't fully remove from their store for weeks after.

XCodeGhost was first found by Alibaba - a third party.

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#154

Post by josho »

expertentipp wrote: post #96

I seriously loathe the people hating on the web. On the web one can preview, debug, and block stuff at each application and network layer. Use Lynx, disable JS, install ad and tracking blockers, edit hosts file - you are the king. Want to see the true evil? Native Android and iOS applications, there doesn’t exist an alternative platform anymore. You think that app is free? Not even web-style in-app advertisements giv…

The problem is not web vs native apps. The problem is business models that are hostile to consumers / end users.

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#156

Post by mcny »

codedokode wrote: post #145
JimDabell wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apologies, I'm conflating two slightly different things there. There's the identifierForVendor [0] which is unique to the publisher. This is pretty safe to use however you see fit (within reason). Then there's the advertisingIdentifier [1], which is not unique, but can easily be permanently zeroed out by the user. Apple also have some fairly stringent rules about how it can be used [2], not to mention further rules a…

Cannot these restrictions be lifted if you write that the user agrees to sharing all of their data for any purposes somewhere between the lines of a 20-page Privacy Policy?

I imagine Apple has the final word on how to define the word surreptitiously. I would like to think Apple could interpret somewhere in 20 page privacy policy is surreptitious.

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#158

Post by graystevens »

Tepix wrote: post #155

Whats a good, slim solution for a VPN I can setup on my host to filter these tracking sites? I already have OpenVPN set up, does it have filtering features that could help block this unwanted traffic?

I have heard people use pihole linked with a VPN to act as a way of minimising tracking whilst on 3G/4G. It acts as a DNS server, so you could tweak your VPN config to run all queries through your pihole instance.

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#159

Post by burtonator »

nly wrote: post #8

We're spoiled in the desktop browser by being able to clear history, cookies, local storage etc, or use a private browser session. There's also the importance of the "same origin policy". The Android platform API should simply never allow apps to obtain global system identifiers (serial numbers, "advertising IDs", MACs, Wifi network info, EMEIs etc) in the first place. Perhaps even going as far as not providing a sha…

A major issue for me recently is that I've found my users VERY distrustful of ANYTHING regarding tracking, cloud usages, etc.

I'm just an ISV and have no evil intentions but I"m constantly having to defend myself against people saying I'm trying to track them too much.

I'm trying to track app version numbers, how often features are used, etc.

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#160

Post by _8j50 »

burtonator wrote: post #159
nly wrote: post #8

We're spoiled in the desktop browser by being able to clear history, cookies, local storage etc, or use a private browser session. There's also the importance of the "same origin policy". The Android platform API should simply never allow apps to obtain global system identifiers (serial numbers, "advertising IDs", MACs, Wifi network info, EMEIs etc) in the first place. Perhaps even going as far as not providing a sha…

A major issue for me recently is that I've found my users VERY distrustful of ANYTHING regarding tracking, cloud usages, etc. I'm just an ISV and have no evil intentions but I"m constantly having to defend myself against people saying I'm trying to track them too much. I'm trying to track app version numbers, how often features are used, etc.

Yeah but that can be used against your users.

I've used user-agent's from the facebook app against a user for example(legit work :) ). It contains the phone version,app version and so much other detail that's a unique identifier.

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