Android users have been secretly tracked by Meta and Yandex. Experts found out that these companies followed users’ browser activity without permission.
This happened on Android devices. Meta and Yandex used their apps to collect data. Meta’s apps include Facebook and Instagram. Yandex’s apps include Yandex Maps.
Experts from Radboud University and IMDEA Networks discovered this. They said Meta and Yandex collected browser data without users knowing. Meta is investigating, but Yandex denies collecting confidential data.
Meta’s apps, like Facebook and Instagram, ran in the background on Android devices. They loaded a script that sent data back to the apps. This bypassed Android’s security measures. Meta and Yandex could track users’ browser activity without permission.
This worked on all major Android browsers, even in private mode. Google confirmed this. They said Meta and Yandex used Android features in ways that violate security and privacy principles.
Facebook and Instagram were used for tracking
Meta tracked data for about eight months. Yandex did it since 2017. Experts found that Facebook tracked data on 16,000 sites in the EU. Yandex did it on 1,300 sites.
Google has made changes to stop this. They are investigating and talking to Meta and Yandex. Other browsers, like Firefox and DuckDuckGo, were also affected. Mozilla and DuckDuckGo are taking steps to prevent future secret tracking.
- Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- DuckDuckGo
These browsers are now protected from secret tracking. Users can feel safer when browsing online.