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

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

#131

Post by tolmasky »

dilDDoS wrote: 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…

It's even worse than that:

1. Nothing you visit gets saved in your history. So many times I'm looking through my history thinking "I could have sworn I read an article about this..." only to eventually discover (if I'm lucky) that it was in Twitter's stupid in-app browser. But oh well, never going to find that article again! The irony of the APP knowing everything you visit but you never getting to remember what you visited.

2. All your logins are gone! I actually pay a bunch of stupid newspapers just to click on links in Twitter and STILL be told I can't read the article because of course I'm not logged-in in the in-app browser. UGH.

You could imagine a world where iOS tried to balance the desire of an app to not bounce you out with a more "integrated experience" by providing an "in-app" browser that was completely controlled by the OS, modifying your history, keeping you logged in, running out of process, and being able to be "adopted" as a tab in Safari, but instead they just made "SFSafariViewController" which does none of these things and instead just makes it really really easy for all apps to incorporate these infuriating in-app browsers.

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

#132

Post by AtNightWeCode »

andix wrote: post #62

It would be interesting if this violates rights of the website owner the user is visiting. I known that embedding content of other websites into your own via an iframe can be a copyright violation. And what Meta does here is more or less like an iframe.

I believe so. Copyright and TOS of the sites. Copyright also in the sense that content have been changed. This should be on pair with banner swap techs.

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

#133

Post by lrvick »

darth_avocado wrote: post #94
dilDDoS wrote: 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…

I frankly am surprised why anyone would think otherwise? The “In-app” in the name should kind of give it away that it is, after all, in the app. Anything you do will be available for the app to track.

Consider the overwhelming majority of users are technically illiterate. Everything is just magic scrolling machines people learned to trust from watching people they trust use them.

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

#134

Post by comprev »

PenguinCoder wrote: post #21
tiku wrote: 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.

Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook (and mbasic.facebook.com), LinkedIn, etc. are all user hostile.

This gets amplified when using ad/tracker blockers at DNS level (NextDNS).

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

#135

Post by rrix2 »

dylan604 wrote: post #56
macNchz wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually find Twitter’s mobile web app experience to be pretty good–they don’t nag me to install the app every 5 seconds, it’s reasonably performant, the back button works properly and even mostly preserves scroll position. All of the core functionality is there, except new features like Fleets I don’t care about anyway. I use it regularly and have been pretty impressed. Reddit on the other hand is absolutely hosti…

I all I ever see when following Twitter links on mobile is the lower 1/3 of the screen with a "it's better in the app" banner bullshit. What web app from Twitter are you seeing that doesn't have that?

Its significantly less hostile if you use it as an web app, logged in. Even presents a PWA that is basically indistinguishable from the Twitter-Lite app served to data starved localities in Google Play.

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

#137

Post by nerdponx »

dilDDoS wrote: 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…

There is no appeal for users and there never has been.

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

#138

Post by thrashh »

zippergz wrote: post #125
dilDDoS wrote: 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…

I'm sure this has gotten better as people have become more used to smartphones, but I worked on a popular app for a big company a number of years ago, and we would send people out to Safari to open links. The number of customer service calls we got from people who couldn't figure out how to get back to the app after that was ASTOUNDING. We eventually gave in and did an in-app browser. Not only did it get rid of that…

I’m a developer and I remember turning off in-app browsers whenever I could and I absolutely hated it

My browser would get littered with old tabs and coming back to the app for a small click became a hassle

On the off-chance I do want to save a link, I know I can just open it in my browser anyway

So I much prefer in-app browsers as a user and a developer

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

#139

Post by systemvoltage »

dilDDoS wrote: 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…

Instagram isn’t doing it for the benefit of the user.

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

#140

Post by dazbradbury »

Websites need cookie notices, but apps can track your full web usage (albeit within the in-app browser) without any such notice or opt in? Doesn't seem like this would be legal. Anyone know how this could be compliant in the EU?

It's also frustrating that on an android device you can't simply disable in-app browsers globally.

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