You thought that the incognito mode and cleaning your cookies were sufficient to keep your navigation private. It turns out that Meta did not think it. A new report exposed that Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, secretly followed everything that Android users did online for months – no matter how careful they were.
History focuses on a follow -up technique called “Local mess”Discovered by researchers from Imdea Networks and Radboud University in the Netherlands. While you are browsing the news, online purchases or reading your Guilpy Pleasure fan fiction Archives of our ownMeta’s applications listened to. [So yes, Mark Zuckerberg has inside info to your most embarrassing fandoms.]
The secret stolen door
Meta applications have used an intelligent and extremely shaded method to bypass all usual privacy protections. It worked like this:
- Applications like Facebook and Instagram have opened a hidden connection to your phone, using what is called the “Localhost” address (127.0.0.1).
- Thanks to this local network flaw, Meta’s hidden code was able to monitor everything you have done in your mobile browser – even if you thought you traveled safely in Incognito.
Meta follow -up linked your navigation activity directly to your real Facebook or Instagram profile. More private tabs. No more cookies disappearing. Everything was outdoors – well, at least for Meta.
Exposed Android users
Researchers say that this problem only affected Android phones. They did not find the same espionage behavior on iOS devices, although they note that this could be technically possible there. If you used a browser like Chrome or Firefox on Android, you were probably a target. These navigators did nothing to stop the Meta technique. Only brave and DuckduckGo managed to block the trickThanks to their stricter confidentiality parameters.
The meta code, known as Meta-pixelis integrated into more than 5 million websites, including many main media, shopping sites and blogs. If you have visited one of these sites on your Android phone, your navigation history was probably directly at the meta.
How was revealed
The researchers did not keep their discovery for themselves. They disclosed the problem in a responsible manner, giving the developers of the browser and in meta-time to react. But while the fix takes place now to the navigators, Meta’s response was … almost silent. There was no press conference, no statement to users. Meta just closed the follow -up script after the staging of the news.
YandexThe Russian technology giant was also surprised using the same approach. They said it was only for “personalization” and had also stopped practice, but damage to confidence are already made.
Why Meta did this
Meta’s motivation seems simple: money. With Google, which plans to kill third -party cookies from Chrome, Meta’s Ad Empire was faced with drought of data. This spying on Backchannel gave them a way to continue to collect the information they want – information that feeds the advertising machine.
This flaw in Android was the ideal way to keep an eye on users while browsers cut other trackers. It is an overview of how creative and determined technological companies can be when your personal data is at stake.
The good news is that browser manufacturers have already started to correct the problem:
- Google has published a chest for Chrome.
- Firefox works on one, although it seems that Meta does not target it so strongly.
- DuckDuckGo and Brave have never been vulnerable first – to the test that confidentiality -focused browsers really make a difference.
However, it is a reminder that relying on incognito mode or erasing your cookies is not enough. Meta’s actions show that they will find new ways to get around your defenses if it means getting their hands on more data.
How can you protect yourself?
This scandal is an alarm clock for Android users who care about their privacy. Here’s what you can do now:
- Go to a browser that takes confidentiality seriouslyLike Brave or DuckduckGo.
- Review authorizations You have given applications like Facebook And Instagram On your Android phone – many of us distribute authorizations without thinking twice.
- Keep your browser up to dateBecause the fixes for these types of problems often go through safety fixes.
No matter how careful you are, remember: the way companies like Meta process your data do not always correspond to what they say in their privacy policies. When there is money to make, they will push the limits.
