The photo sharing platform owned by Meta Instagram is able to track its users, text choices and even text input, such as passwords and secret credit card information, if they visit links in the application, new reports. Analysis conducted by Felix Krause found that Instagram and Facebook on iOS use a browser in their own application rather than those offered by Apple for third -party applications.
Most applications use Apple safari to load websites, but Instagram and Facebook have used browsers in their own applications to load websites in the application, report Macrumors. With a special browser, it is still based on webkit, Instagram, and Facebook injecting the Javascript code mentioned “Meta Pixel” into all links and websites displayed.
With that code, Meta has a total freedom to track user interactions without their explicit approval, Krause was found. This allows Instagram to monitor everything that happens on an external website without user approval, or website provider, the report said.
The Instagram application injects their tracking code into every website that is displayed, including when clicking on advertisements, allows them to monitor all user interactions, such as every button and link tapped, text choices, screenshots, and input any forms, such as passwords, address, address, and credit card number.
As Krause shows, it takes a reasonable effort for companies such as meta to develop and maintain browsers in their own applications rather than using Apple’s default safari. In the developer portal, Meta claims “Meta Pixel” is designed to “track visitor activities on your website” by monitoring all events carried out by users in a special browser. There is no evidence that Meta, which has Instagram, has actively collected user data that can be collected.