What TikTok and Facebook may track with their in-app browsers – The Washington Post

When you want to open a link on Instagram or TikTok, your first instinct might be to just click on it. But be aware: You could be revealing whatever you do next to social media companies.A recent report highlighted the use of “custom browsers” by iOS social apps, calling out Facebook parent Meta and TikTok for continuing to build their own in-app browsers rather than using the one Apple provides that comes with some built-in privacy protections.Software developer Felix Krause sounded an alarm after finding that Meta and TikTok inject code into their browsers he said could monitor everything you tap or even act as a key logger — a tool that can gather what you type including passwords. Meta and TikTok confirmed that the code exists but said they don’t use it to snoop.TikTok said the code is for “debugging, troubleshooting and performance monitoring.” Meta said the code helps it honor whatever selection the user made in Apple’s “ask app not to track” prompt. Using its own browser instead of Safari comes with security benefits, a Meta spokeswoman said, as well as a “more seamless and convenient experience for users.”Here’s how concerned you should be — and how to…
Read More