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Instagram can track anything you do on any website in their in-app browser

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81–90 of 469 posts

Re: Instagram can track anything you do on any website in their in-app browser

#81

I hope Apple doesn't disable JS injection in WKWebViews in response to this. JS injection is the (only?) way to call native Swift methods from JS ie. bridging. I am not sure what the solution here is. Maybe only allow injection to sites you control (via apple association file).

Apple can just disallow in app browsers in the store policy. Require apps to call out to the default external browser.

Re: Instagram can track anything you do on any website in their in-app browser

#82
post #10

I still remember the LinkedIn app ripping all my contacts, so no apps for me. I just use the sites.

> use the sites. Which are increasingly user hostile, if not down right impossible to view on mobile. Go try using Reddit or Twitter on your Mobile browser.

I used this to reduce my usage of the sites. It's so terrible I'm in and out in just enough time to check notifications

Having said that I find Twitter to be quite usable in a mobile browser, it's one of the few that isn't awful

Facebook is by far the worst, image posts overlap the edges of the screen, terrible for anything with text overlaying[1]. You can use the mobile version instead but then you can't use FB messenger at all

[1] e.g. https://img.imgy.org/-7p8.jpg

Re: Instagram can track anything you do on any website in their in-app browser

#83
post #47

I generally don't see any appeal to in-app browsers in the first place. They often have extremely broken navigation controls (i.e. attempting to swipe back to a previous page usually just returns back to the app), block the ability to navigate to a specific URL, content blockers don't work, don't allow opening "smart links" that would typically open in another app if opened from a normal browser, etc. From what I'm g…

Ironically the whole point of it originally was sandboxing, and it’s true at least on iOS. Thus, you won’t be logged into the same sites within an in-app browser, and clicking a link from within an app (whether it appears to be an link or not) can’t automatically connect you to cookies and any other tracking from your actual browser.

On android I have firefox-focus as my default browser (and disable any in-app browsing) for that same purpose.

Re: Instagram can track anything you do on any website in their in-app browser

#85
If these platforms do things that are abusive and invasive, the solution is not to complain about it, the solution is to stop donating content to them for free and delete your account so they aren't attractive to more users.

Continuing to enrich them, even by your reachability via their DM messengers, makes them more attractive to your friends and family.

Delete your Facebook and Instagram accounts. Stop giving them positive feedback (via continued usage and content donations) after they make clear choices to abuse you.

Re: Instagram can track anything you do on any website in their in-app browser

#86
Is this different from my android experience where I open a link from an app and it opens my default browser, Firefox, but kind-of within the app, but allows me to instantly switch over to the Firefox app instead using a drop-down menu option?

Re: Instagram can track anything you do on any website in their in-app browser

#87
post #19

i don't understand why apple allows in-app browsers.

Do you want to cripple the entire app industry? Apps built using React Nativ / Flutter e.t.c use the WebView to render themselves. So they’re basically already running “in-app browsers” But then how do you differentiate when the app is rendering its own view rather than another website? You could apply some restrictions like has nowadays where you need extra security privileges (I think) to render pages / execute scr…

Thats not how react native or flutter work at all. They use native views, not a browser. You are likely thinking of cordova (phonegap) et al.

Re: Instagram can track anything you do on any website in their in-app browser

#88
post #73
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apps that use Safari View Controller cannot view the page - of course Facebook doesn't use SVC for this reason. While you're right that the Facebook/Instagram app can spy on links opened within the app, it can't plant cookies in your web browser - so those go both ways.

I thought Facebook/Instagram used a WebView for their in-app browser on both iOS and Android? Which means they can do anything they want, including exfiltrate your browsing.

I meant "of course Facebook doesn't [use Safari View Controller]". WebView ≠ Safari View Controller.

Safari View Controller keeps the users cookies from Safari and prevents this behavior. For most apps, keeping users logged in without leaving the app is preferred, so they give up the ability to inspect the contents of the page.

Re: Instagram can track anything you do on any website in their in-app browser

#89
post #10

I still remember the LinkedIn app ripping all my contacts, so no apps for me. I just use the sites.

I remember when the Twitter app asked if I wanted to sync the mobile contacts every time I opened the app. Thankfully Android has become better when it comes to this even if there are still flaws.

Re: Instagram can track anything you do on any website in their in-app browser

#90
post #10

I still remember the LinkedIn app ripping all my contacts, so no apps for me. I just use the sites.

> use the sites. Which are increasingly user hostile, if not down right impossible to view on mobile. Go try using Reddit or Twitter on your Mobile browser.

It is infuriating that I can't browse certain Reddit pages because they want me to "use the app so they know I'm over 18". I first ran into this in my current attempt to play through Dark Souls 3. It seems like the community there has a lot of good discussions about beating certain bosses, but for some reason, Reddit has decided that the content in that sub-reddit needs age verification and they wall it behind the app.
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