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How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

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Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#131

Post by Buge »

scarface74 wrote: post #129
lern_too_spel wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Android advertising ID is exactly the same as the iOS IDFA. Both companies enforce policies on using those identifiers for apps published on their app stores. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ... https://www.businessinsider.com/ifa-apples-iphone-tracking-i...

You're responsible for ensuring your apps are in compliance with policies regarding its usage, as well as all Play policies. And the developer will pinky promise that they won’t abuse it....

That sounds similar to what Apple does according to this comment:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18790869

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#132

Post by zozbot123 »

ummonk wrote: post #127
zozbot123 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iOS apps have similar issues, actually. On the Android side, you can at least use free and auditable apps from the F-Droid repository, and buy your device from an OEM vendor which will let you unlock it and install google-free LineageOS. (More speculatively, the community is now working on replacing AOSP altogether with the usual Linux desktop stack, via PostmarketOS. Not usable right now, but it's progressing rather…

>On the Android side, you can at least use free and auditable apps from the F-Droid repository, and buy your device from an OEM vendor which will let you unlock it and install google-free LineageOS. Do you go audit every line of source code in the apps and OS you install? Do you then verify that the binary blobs you're installing were built from the same source? Do you somehow audit the source for the firmware on you…

I trust the community (including the security community) to do a better job at this than a handful of proprietary hardware and software vendors. Yes, it would be nice to have more openness on the hardware side too (and the Librem 5 phone is a worthwhile answer to that) but let's focus on the lowest-hanging fruit first.

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#133

Post by icelancer »

expertentipp wrote: post #96

I seriously loathe the people hating on the web. On the web one can preview, debug, and block stuff at each application and network layer. Use Lynx, disable JS, install ad and tracking blockers, edit hosts file - you are the king. Want to see the true evil? Native Android and iOS applications, there doesn’t exist an alternative platform anymore. You think that app is free? Not even web-style in-app advertisements giv…

It's pretty frustrating. The web is infinitely better than the app-based nonsense we have. Desktops are better than mobile devices by orders of magnitude when it comes to productive tasks.

It'll shift back over time. Mobile is not going away but there will be a resurgence of desktop usage in the form of the mobile devices being hooked up to dumb terminals or something of the sort, and privacy/usability initiatives will slowly trudge on.

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#134

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

Santosh83 wrote: post #33
bagsvaerd70 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have a recommended setup to tackle fingerprinting? I'm using a VPN + ublock origin + https everywhere + temporary containers + don't track me google + chameleon + canvas blocker + custom user.js (that disables e.g. webgl). It's pretty good to address many tracking methods (e.g. cookies, IP) but fingerprinting is remarkably hard to prevent.

Disabling Javascript kills fingerprinting in the womb. Enable only for trusted sites as needed.

It doesn't prevent all tracking. You still leak uniquely identifying info via cookies, headers, and IP.

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#135

Post by HillaryBriss »

rock_hard wrote: post #61
IshKebab wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TL;DR seems to be that lots of apps include the Facebook SDK and when you initialise the SDK it always sends your device ID back to Facebook. Most negative news about Facebook is nonsense but this does seem to be pretty shady on Facebook's part.

Just speculating, but they might just need this information to combat bots actually. Think about it, they already know who you are because you are logged in with your account. They don’t need more info than that to run targeted ads.

> Think about it, they already know who you are because you are logged in with your account.

wait. is that how it really works? does the FB SDK these other apps use really require that?

I mean: what if I don't have a FB account? what if I don't have the FB app installed?

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#136

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

ummonk wrote: post #127
zozbot123 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iOS apps have similar issues, actually. On the Android side, you can at least use free and auditable apps from the F-Droid repository, and buy your device from an OEM vendor which will let you unlock it and install google-free LineageOS. (More speculatively, the community is now working on replacing AOSP altogether with the usual Linux desktop stack, via PostmarketOS. Not usable right now, but it's progressing rather…

>On the Android side, you can at least use free and auditable apps from the F-Droid repository, and buy your device from an OEM vendor which will let you unlock it and install google-free LineageOS. Do you go audit every line of source code in the apps and OS you install? Do you then verify that the binary blobs you're installing were built from the same source? Do you somehow audit the source for the firmware on you…

LineageOS allows fine grained permission revocation that cuts most of the bullshit.

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#137

Post by propogandist »

rock_hard wrote: post #61
IshKebab wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TL;DR seems to be that lots of apps include the Facebook SDK and when you initialise the SDK it always sends your device ID back to Facebook. Most negative news about Facebook is nonsense but this does seem to be pretty shady on Facebook's part.

Just speculating, but they might just need this information to combat bots actually. Think about it, they already know who you are because you are logged in with your account. They don’t need more info than that to run targeted ads.

Apps are doing this when you first open them (and constantly afterwards), this has nothing to do with bots and account login.

Apps are calling out to FB regardless of you having a [FB] account.

If you have root, using Xprivacy will annoy you by revealing the amount of data-mining that's happening across all apps.

I've seen this happening all the time using NetGuard (firewall which requires no root, made by the same dev behind Xprivacy). Most of the default apps on Samsung phones are constantly trying to call Facebook servers also.

If you have Android, you should not be using your phone without NetGuard installed - https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#138

Post by SquareWheel »

expertentipp wrote: post #96

I seriously loathe the people hating on the web. On the web one can preview, debug, and block stuff at each application and network layer. Use Lynx, disable JS, install ad and tracking blockers, edit hosts file - you are the king. Want to see the true evil? Native Android and iOS applications, there doesn’t exist an alternative platform anymore. You think that app is free? Not even web-style in-app advertisements giv…

I agree completely. It's a particularly common problem on this forum.

The web is the most open and accessible platform we have. There's a powerful and fast layout engine. Scripting is open by default, and the client can at any time inspect, block, or modify those scripts to suit their needs.

The web is awesome for hackers.

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#139

Post by HillaryBriss »

beefield wrote: post #77

I'd like to have an app that creates virtual android environments that I can run my apps in. And the possibility to spoof the sensor data for the environment with configurable profiles. Like "rich geek in Silicon Valley traveling occasionally to Caribbean" or maybe "suburban middleclass housewife in Florida".

perhaps you can get close to this goal by

1. installing the Android dev SDK (complete with emulator images) on to your laptop

2. having a distinct emulator instance for each of your chosen profiles

Re: How Facebook tracks you on Android [video]

#140

Post by EduardoBautista »

SmellyGeekBoy wrote: post #67
dirkgently wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are wording this in a way that it implies that this (block) happens by ios. That's not true and you know it.

Did you not see the follow-up sibling comment clarifying this? (That was posted 2 hours before yours)

It should have been an edit to the original comment.
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