use jitsi.org instead.
Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account
121–130 of 375 posts
Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account
#122Earlier quoted context omitted.
Similar to how we have organizations which can certify whether produce is organic or not, we need organizations which can certify whether apps and websites are certified ad tracking free.
Ironically, those orgs have themselves been accused of being pay-to-play -- if you give them enough money they will certify you organic. Since it's industry run, there is no one checking that the organic certifiers are legit. It's turtles all the way down. The only legit solution is the government, because they are the only ones without a profit motive in the whole system (although they can be bribed, but that's a wh…
Yes its more in the absence of a government initiative. IIRC, what happened with organics is that it started as pay to play and then the USDA came along and took the best practices from the pay to play initiatives and introduced the USDA Organic.
Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account
#123What does the GDPR say about this? Anyway, let's just ban targeted advertising already to stop this madness in its roots.
GDPR says it's illegal, but its weight is about the same as the UK law that says it's illegal to handle salmon in suspicious circumstances (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_Act_1986).
A law is only good if there are actual consequences for breaking it and so far there hasn't been any for these kinds of large-scale breaches.
Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account
#124Earlier quoted context omitted.
Similar to how we have organizations which can certify whether produce is organic or not, we need organizations which can certify whether apps and websites are certified ad tracking free.
We (Appfigures) are scanning apps for SDKs so we know which trackers, analytics, location trackers apps are using. We’re working on a way to make that data accessible to app developers so they can learn from competitors, but having a simple way to tell if an app tracks you that doesn’t require signing up or anything like that could be an interesting idea. Would you actually check an app before downloading/using it?
Ideally the certification would be made visible by the app creator when the upload the app to Apple/Android App Store so people downloading it would be able see the designation.
Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account
#125Are they using a Facebook dependency? FB has a couple of libraries popular for use as UI libraries. I didn't think they phoned home, but I could be wrong.
It's probably used for install tracking.
Apple doesn't provide a way to know how a user found your app, but Facebook does. This is why the app I work on uses the Facebook SDK.
Basically, we want to know how effective our Facebook ads are at getting actual installs.
Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
You think Zoom is doing it for fun? This is a revenue source right?
Why do comments suggesting that data collection is paid for by Facebook/google get downvoted? Serious question. This wasn’t my comment but I think it’s true and I’ve said the same previously and was downvoted too. Is it because it’s obvious and well known? Did I miss the memo too? If Facebook is encouraging the capture and transmission of this data and paying for it, does this mean that Facebook has indemnified Zoom?
I’ve long since given up trying to figure out why HN goes and goes against certain things. The vote system here is one of the clearest examples of “let’s build a bubble” that I can think of.
There is no way Zoom is just sending secret data to FB out of the evilness (because it’s not goodness!) of their hearts for fun. So someone is trading value somewhere.
Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account
#127Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
If "Fake News" ever meant that for the majority of english speakers, it is gone. It seems to have skyrocketed in the modern lexicon as a way to attack media to shift the conversation. Whenever I hear someone use the term Fake News, I am immediately more critical of their words.
agreed. using this phrase is the equivalent of putting your fingers in your ears and running away
Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account
#128Earlier quoted context omitted.
Similar to how we have organizations which can certify whether produce is organic or not, we need organizations which can certify whether apps and websites are certified ad tracking free.
Exodus Privacy will tell you what trackers are present in an Android app. They don't certify apps as "ad tracking free" but leave that decision up to you. The only certification of being ad-free is probably to be open source as well, in which case there's a large selection of apps in F-Droid which meet that requirement. https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/
Looks promising, though it doesn't seem to have caught the FB connection in Zoom[1] (though given that Zoom has the Internet Access permission I suppose it can really send data anywhere?) They do offer an on-device version, which is available via F-droid[2].
1: https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/us.zoom.vid...
2: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.oF2pks.classyshark3xodus...
Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
You think Zoom is doing it for fun? This is a revenue source right?
Why do comments suggesting that data collection is paid for by Facebook/google get downvoted? Serious question. This wasn’t my comment but I think it’s true and I’ve said the same previously and was downvoted too. Is it because it’s obvious and well known? Did I miss the memo too? If Facebook is encouraging the capture and transmission of this data and paying for it, does this mean that Facebook has indemnified Zoom?
> Why do comments suggesting that data collection is paid for by Facebook/google get downvoted?
It's not that I disagree with the facts here. Obviously they're doing so for some sort of monetary incentive. That doesn't make it any less evil. I don't care if it's legal. Companies that depend on the sale of user data to be profitable are acting unethically and (imo) unsustainable as those profits may not be available to them in a future with better regulation.
Re: Zoom iOS app sends data to Facebook even if you don’t have a Facebook account
#130EVERY. SINGLE. APP. THAT. INCLUDES. THE. FACEBOOK. SDK. Even if you don't log in. The Facebook SDK sends data back. Hook your device up to an intercepting proxy and start up a few apps. 99% of them do this. I really wish Apple would put an end to this.
> I really wish Apple would put an end to this. This is what really gives lie to the whole walled garden thing. Its selling point is supposed to be in Apple preventing things like this, but here we are in reality and they don't. Meanwhile they do e.g. prevent Signal from replacing Apple's default app for SMS, which has no purpose other than to create barriers for cross-platform competitors to the default apps.
I wish everyone could take a marketing class. Apple, Nintendo, and half the car companies would be out of business.