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Washington Post's Privacy Tip: Stop Using Chrome, Delete Meta Apps (and Yandex)

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Re: Washington Post's Privacy Tip: Stop Using Chrome, Delete Meta Apps (and Yandex)

#131

Post by macNchz »

bink wrote: post #121
ThinkBeat wrote: post #112

I dont yet understand this attack. The WP article says: "" Millions of websites contain a string of computer code from Meta that compiles your web activity. It might capture the income you report to the government, your application for a student loan and your online shopping. "" If I read that correctly then they are capturing all https web content you access in clear text and uploads it all to Meta? Then Meta I thou…

It does sound fantastical. A piece of code that can violate the same origin policy would be a huge vulnerability. Meta could be working with other sites to share data on users via code running on both sites, but snooping on tax data without the IRS helping? Unlikely. I can only assume they're suggesting that companies like Intuit and H&R Block are sharing this data with Meta, but that seems like a huge violation of p…

It's effectively malware—this article has some more detail: https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/06/meta-and-yandex-are...

Basically, they created a channel between the browser and a localhost webserver running in their native apps, by abusing the ability to set arbitrary metadata on WebRTC connections. That way, they were able to exfiltrate tracking cookies out of the browser's sandbox to the native app, where they could be associated with your logged-in user identity.

Re: Washington Post's Privacy Tip: Stop Using Chrome, Delete Meta Apps (and Yandex)

#132

Post by timewizard »

kulahan wrote: post #54
timewizard wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> which depends on ad revenue They're more tightly bound than that. They're dependent on Google Display Ads. Which really makes their whole diatribe that much more pathetic. Any media company that decided to traffic the ads themselves, from their own servers, and inline with their own content, would effectively be immune from ad blocking. > Ditching these deeply invasive products remains a good idea While still allow…

> While still allowing random third party javascript to run unchecked on a parent website. Lol, why are you commenting as if somehow allowing it to run negates the other good ideas in some way? Obviously some is better than none, and all is better than some, but each step takes more effort.

lol, because ads pay for the content you're reading. it pays salaries.

what I _don't_ want is to be _tracked_. show me ads all day if you want.

Re: Washington Post's Privacy Tip: Stop Using Chrome, Delete Meta Apps (and Yandex)

#133

Post by gamblor956 »

alkonaut wrote: post #119
ninth_ant wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A media outlet which depends on ad revenue as a primary income source is unlikely to suggest this. Ditching these deeply invasive products remains a good idea, independent on any decision to use ad blockers or not. The Meta/Yandex incident in particular is straight-up malware and everyone should remove their apps.

Getting privacy advice from an adtech funded outlet sounds like reading democracy advice from the Chinese ruling party or vegetarianism advice from lions to be honest. It might be correct-and-incomplete but they just have no credibility on the topic.

WaPo is dependent on subscription revenue, not ads. They limit the number of articles non subscribers can read.

They're also owned by one of the richest men in the world...

Re: Washington Post's Privacy Tip: Stop Using Chrome, Delete Meta Apps (and Yandex)

#135

Post by password4321 »

arresin wrote: post #7

What is the alternative to chrome that doesn’t crash or is not noticeably slower?

I use Chrome for Google workspace, Firefox for ongoing personal logins, and Brave incognito for other browsing (restarting completely for a new session when changing gears).

Last week's discussion on a profile management tool offered several insights into how others a bit further down this path use their browsers of choice: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44132752

Re: Washington Post's Privacy Tip: Stop Using Chrome, Delete Meta Apps (and Yandex)

#136

Post by oefrha »

hk1337 wrote: post #14
azinman2 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like people sleep on safari, especially on Macs.

JavaScript Chrome developers did a good job of convincing people that Safari is the new IE. I love Safari on macOS. I love the pinch/zoom with the tabs. I love that private browsing mode, at least seems to, keep things contained to the tab they started with. e.g. if I open facebook in a private tab then open new tab and go to facebook, it’s going to make me login.

Safari is the new IE not because they refuse to implement questionable new web “standards”, but because

- It has all sorts of random quirks in their supposedly supported features;

- Mobile Safari has even more quirks;

- No other major browser introduces random serious bugs like Safari does (remember the IndexedDB one?);

- Version updates are tied to OS updates meaning it’s the only major browsers that’s not evergreen, and coupled with the previous points you have to carry workarounds for bugs forever, and of course can’t use new features;

- Extensions are 10x harder to develop and more than 10x more expensive to publish since they’re tied to Xcode, Apple Developer Program and MAS, because fuck you;

- Like another commenter said, it’s the only browser that crashes on me (random “this page has experienced a problem and reloaded” or something like that);

- PWA is another kind of hell in Safari but opinions are divided so whatever. At the very least it’s not conducive to an open web.

It’s a piece of hot garbage, like a lot of other Apple software these days. Sure, maybe it’s battery efficient or something. I don’t give a shit because I work plugged in.

Oh and developer tools in Safari are crap but who cares.

Re: Washington Post's Privacy Tip: Stop Using Chrome, Delete Meta Apps (and Yandex)

#137

Post by Wobbles42 »

ajsnigrutin wrote: post #91

For most people in the west, using yandex and chinese alternatives would be better than local ones, because neither china nor russia has any auhority over you, while your local agencies do.

This. Separation of concerns is a good thing. In this case "people who spy on you" and "people who kick your door in and shoot your dog".

Re: Washington Post's Privacy Tip: Stop Using Chrome, Delete Meta Apps (and Yandex)

#138

Post by romanows »

gamblor956 wrote: post #133
alkonaut wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting privacy advice from an adtech funded outlet sounds like reading democracy advice from the Chinese ruling party or vegetarianism advice from lions to be honest. It might be correct-and-incomplete but they just have no credibility on the topic.

WaPo is dependent on subscription revenue, not ads. They limit the number of articles non subscribers can read. They're also owned by one of the richest men in the world...

Maybe, but they they refused to offer an ad-free subscription tier last time I asked. NYT and Chicago Sun Times also refused.

Re: Washington Post's Privacy Tip: Stop Using Chrome, Delete Meta Apps (and Yandex)

#139

Post by mmooss »

xnx wrote: post #6

Without the suggestion to install an adblocker, this is not credible advice.

That may not be viable for many non-technical users, which is their audience. On HN, it would be an error to omit ad blockers; the Washington Post has a different audience. I expect that most would find installing and learning a new browser to be too much effort and too hard to understand.
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