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Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account

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11–20 of 375 posts

Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account

#11
Ahem. That's just Facebook Analytics. Yes, it should be mentioned in the privacy policy, especially if they operate in countries under the GDPR (they do).

But having a go at Zoom on this ground is unfair, given many developers do the exact same thing.

Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account

#12
Facebook is also ad & analytics network. You can replace facebook, with any ad/analytics network and it will still be true.

Probably vice’s mobile app, or website, or any other app with ads, sharing this information.

Problem is trying to create fake news like this, with using popular names like zoom and facebook. (When I mean fake news, this is not news at all, things you can see on google analytics vs this is not even comparable)

Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account

#13
Reminder: The NextDNS iOS app allows you to monitor and block these types of requests from all of your apps, via their DNS logging/filtering. (You can also configure the retention on the DNS logging, so as to not cause more toxic waste data.)

I can't recommend it enough. Until/unless we get something like Little Snitch for the phone (are you listening, Apple?!), this is the next best thing.

Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account

#14

Facebook is also ad & analytics network. You can replace facebook, with any ad/analytics network and it will still be true. Probably vice’s mobile app, or website, or any other app with ads, sharing this information. Problem is trying to create fake news like this, with using popular names like zoom and facebook. (When I mean fake news, this is not news at all, things you can see on google analytics vs this is not ev…

[deleted]

Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account

#15

Ahem. That's just Facebook Analytics. Yes, it should be mentioned in the privacy policy, especially if they operate in countries under the GDPR (they do). But having a go at Zoom on this ground is unfair, given many developers do the exact same thing.

Lets have a go at those other developers too, then.

Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account

#16

Facebook is also ad & analytics network. You can replace facebook, with any ad/analytics network and it will still be true. Probably vice’s mobile app, or website, or any other app with ads, sharing this information. Problem is trying to create fake news like this, with using popular names like zoom and facebook. (When I mean fake news, this is not news at all, things you can see on google analytics vs this is not ev…

Please don't misuse the term "fake news." Fake news has a specific meaning: false stories that have no basis in fact but have tantalizing headlines meant to attract attention.

Attempting to change the meaning of the term dilutes its importance and introduces unnecessary confusion.

Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account

#18
post #10

Well everything that imports the Facebook SDK or allows sign in with Facebook does this so as long as an app has that blue button on the screen, you shouldn't be surprised that it will phone home to Facebook once the app is opened and initialised. Too bad it isn't practical to have a system-wide blacklist of selected hosts on iOS. Maybe you can but requires a jailbreak, but that too can break some apps.

There are some “VPN” apps that can stop connections system-wide. I’m not sure about custom block lists, but take a look at the free Lockdown app (it’s FOSS). It does all processing on-device. There’s also a paid app (which for me is an expensive subscription) called Guardian Firewall, which uses its servers to process requests.

Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account

#19
post #2

> There is nothing in the privacy policy that addresses [that data is being sent to Facebook] > The Zoom app notifies Facebook when the user opens the app, details on the user's device such as the model, the time zone and city they are connecting from, which phone carrier they are using, and a unique advertiser identifier created by the user's device which companies can use to target a user with advertisements So Zoo…

It's past time for us to get serious and apply HIPAA-style protection to the storage and transmission of PII, without exemptions.

Companies like Facebook will complain loudly that they won't be able to survive, but that is not our problem. If we pass legislation with teeth, they will need to change their business model. That would be the point.

Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account

#20
To clarify, having just worked with the Facebook SDK library for my company's codebase, I dont think it is possible to setup the SDK without this happening. Disclaimer: I do not know what the FacebookSDK does after you call it's launch methods but I am pretty certain that they are required for a least some versions of the SDK.

If you are a Zoom user who is not using a Facebook account, I believe the only info Facebook is getting is that the Zoom app was launched and nothing about the user itself. Unfortunately the side-effect of using the FBSDK is that Facebook can track your app's usage for all users.

I believe this is true of all apps with a "Login in with Facebook" button. FWIW, it does not appear that other OAuth's do this (including Google's)

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