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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

#261

Post by zip1234 »

lrvick wrote: post #93
notatoad wrote: post #65

>I’ve disclosed this issue with Meta through their Bug Bounty Program lol. and this is why companies can be hesitant to run bug bounty programs. it's not a place to complain about things you don't like. Meta/instagram has made a design decision here. just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it's a vulnerability.

Remember this is the same company that just gave police DMs that aided in an abortion investigation. If those had been end to end encrypted that risk would not have existed, but they made a business decision to leave the application vulnerable to spying for profit reasons. That is a vulnerability, in the same way we call it a vulnerability when an entity man-in-the-middles a browser to spy on people. Personal user br…

Well, one can go ahead and enable End-to-End encryption in Facebook Messenger now: https://www.facebook.com/help/messenger-app/786613221989782

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

#262

Post by twodave »

chadlavi wrote: post #251

It's really concerning that everyone treats their children like prisoners. Your kids are gonna find a way to look at what they want anyway, why make it MORE appealing to them by making it verboten? Are you protecting them or are you controlling them?

Some kids (and adults) literally aren’t capable of impulse control. It’s actually nice to be able to hand that control over to somebody else in some cases. And, as a parent if I know my child struggles with this it would be negligent of me to let them harm themselves knowing they can’t stop themselves. I have four children and if there is any generalization about raising kids that I have learned it is that each child has different needs.

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

#263

Post by avalys »

andix wrote: post #212
upupandup wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It isn't. By that logic any browser is liable for violating ToS of websites, which btw isn't the law and you are not obligated to follow anyhow. This of course is a different case for corporations with a dedicated legal team.

First Instagram is not a browser. And second the browser manufacturer (usually) doesn’t make any money by tracking their users. They provide them with a tool, a browser. There is the browser Brave, that replaces ads on websites (and makes some profit with that), and there are some serious legal issues coming with that.

Seems like Instagram _is_ a browser.

The right you seem to be claiming is “you can’t render my website in your app if I don’t like your app”, and that’s not how it works.

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

#264

Post by CodeSgt »

flappyeagle wrote: post #258
CodeSgt wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad to see someone mention addicts. I feel as if internet addiction, and especially subsets of it such as porn addiction, aren't given enough weight by either the addiction treatment community or the technical community. Before someone accuses me of being a conservative religious zealot as tends to happen when anyone denounces porn, I'll say that I'm far from a puritan and am extremely liberal in my social views…

What does it mean to be addicted to porn? Daily viewing? Hourly? Constant?

Typically viewing to the detriment of your emotional/mental/physical health. If you consistently choose porn over real intimacy or if you overly desensitize yourself (porn-induced ED is a real, and quite common thing). The biggest concern is choosing porn over physical intimacy/attempts at physical intimacy. It's super easy for someone who maybe already isn't a social superstar to just find themselves choosing the easy option of porn rather than forcing themselves to go out and put effort into meeting people.

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

#265

Post by fleddr »

autoexec wrote: post #185
fleddr wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same issue when your website opens a link in a new tab on mobile: many mobile users have no idea how to get back. The back button does not work and they don't know how to close/switch tabs. They're barely aware of the concept of a tab.

> They're barely aware of the concept of a tab. What mobile browsers actually have tabs that look like tabs? Honest question, I've only ever used firefox on android. If the others handle tabs anything like firefox does tabs are way more intuitive on a PC.

None, and that's indeed the issue. You can't even see you're in a tab as the entire concept is in no way communicated.

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

#266

Post by Zababa »

CodeSgt wrote: post #250
graham1776 wrote: post #152

I've meant to write a blog post about this, but here goes: In-app browsers allow users to view inappropriate content, often against the wishes of sensitive individuals. People especially at risk for this include addicts and children. Nearly every app, even "safe apps" including children-rated apps, allow access to an in app browser. Even when iOs has locked down all access to Safari, a parent has removed access to al…

I'm glad to see someone mention addicts. I feel as if internet addiction, and especially subsets of it such as porn addiction, aren't given enough weight by either the addiction treatment community or the technical community. Before someone accuses me of being a conservative religious zealot as tends to happen when anyone denounces porn, I'll say that I'm far from a puritan and am extremely liberal in my social views…

> It's an absolutely crucial issue that no one seems to be talking about or taking seriously.

Most men communities talk about it in one form or the other. However, most men communities on the internet are usually close in one form or another to the right politically.

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

#267

Post by elwell »

flappyeagle wrote: post #258
CodeSgt wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad to see someone mention addicts. I feel as if internet addiction, and especially subsets of it such as porn addiction, aren't given enough weight by either the addiction treatment community or the technical community. Before someone accuses me of being a conservative religious zealot as tends to happen when anyone denounces porn, I'll say that I'm far from a puritan and am extremely liberal in my social views…

What does it mean to be addicted to porn? Daily viewing? Hourly? Constant?

I feel like addiction is a complicated label; this is a natural[0] desire. If it is agreed to be destructive to the pursuit of forming healthy relationships: any amount is harmful, or at least the start of something that will be more and more harmful.

[0] - natural like how we crave sugar for our health, yet harmful like I eat candy all day

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

#268

Post by j2bax »

graham1776 wrote: post #152

I've meant to write a blog post about this, but here goes: In-app browsers allow users to view inappropriate content, often against the wishes of sensitive individuals. People especially at risk for this include addicts and children. Nearly every app, even "safe apps" including children-rated apps, allow access to an in app browser. Even when iOs has locked down all access to Safari, a parent has removed access to al…

Why don't you just make sure there are no unsavory links on whatever page you are using the in-app browser for and disable/hide the address bar so they can't just jump onto the open web? Seems like you can have your cake and eat it!

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

#269

Post by pantulis »

saagarjha wrote: post #168
pantulis wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The key aspect here is that Instagram's app is using a Safari Webview but somehow it is injecting its own tracking pixel on the HTML body wether the target website had it or not. Which honestly does not surprise me, what surprises me is that Apple allows this. I think there was a time where certain Javascript capabilities were present in Safari but not in Safari Webview and there was certain outrage. Perhaps a soluti…

To what? Disable the ability to inject JavaScript into the web view?

Yes. Is there a legitimate use case for injecting arbitrary Javascript by the native app? (Honest question)

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

#270

Post by mschuster91 »

chadlavi wrote: post #248
bigfudge wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have kids? It’s really not easy to withdraw all internet access without substantially disadvantaging them. But I don’t want them reading 4chan either. Anything which makes that less likely without fundamentally breaking things is welcome to me.

As a child of the 2000s: just let them look at the horrifying underbelly of the internet. One trip down grossout lane isn't going to undo all your parenting and make them some kind of perverted monster. Children aren't prisoners.

Back in the early 2000s we didn't have people actively recruiting young frustrated men into incel and far-right terrorist groups though. We didn't have people thinking it was cool and edgy to make jokes about gassing Jews. Hell even the pedo/grooming problem wasn't much of a thing. Yes there was porn and vile gore floating around and you had to take care to not fall victim to dialers changing your dial-up information to bleed your phone bill... but that was all in all harmless.

These days, the amount of utter idiocy is just unimaginable, "eternal september" style. You join some random online game discord and whoops half the talk is about rape fantasies, n-bombs and other kind of sickening behavior. Let it slip you're a girl and you'll get flooded with wiener pics, "cum tributes", disgusting fantasies, doxxing attempts, or flat out hate for standing in the way of someone. Go on Youtube, watch a couple of videos and your suggestions have antivaxx bullshit or "shocker videos". Games for children are filled with barely disguised pedos and "moderation" doesn't do shit. Not exactly an environment many people want to expose their children to.

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