Meta devised an ingenious system (“localhost tracking”) that bypassed Android’s sandbox protections to identify you while browsing on your mobile phone — even if you used a VPN, the browser’s incognito mode, and refused or deleted cookies in every session.

This is the process through which Meta (Facebook/Instagram) managed to link what you do in your browser (for example, visiting a news site or an online store) with your real identity (your Facebook or Instagram account), even if you never logged into your account through the browser or anything like that.

Meta accomplishes this through two invisible channels that exchange information:

(i) The Facebook or Instagram app running in the background on your phone, even when you’re not using it.

(ii) Meta’s tracking scripts (the now-pulled illegal brainchild uncovered last week), which operate inside your mobile web browser.

  • TFO Winder@lemmy.ml
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    1 day ago

    Meta is cancer for any platform.

    I feel my mobile becomes dirty once I download any of that shit.

    • NeedyPlatter@lemmy.ca
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      16 hours ago

      Same Unfortunately, I use Marketplace for some things and Meta made it damn near impossible to use a browser for posting marketplace listings and responding to DM’s

      • skisnow@lemmy.ca
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        15 hours ago

        I live in a slightly less developed country where as far as 90% of the population are concerned, Facebook is the internet.

        I hate it with a passion, but if I don’t have a login then there’s no way for me to find details of pretty much any business or event in the city.

        • NeedyPlatter@lemmy.ca
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          1 day ago

          Yes, but Facebook has more people so the items I’m selling typically get picked up pretty fast.

          • felsiq@lemmy.zip
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            24 hours ago

            This is the problem with the network effect, everybody using marketplace is saying the same thing. I’m not trying to shame you in particular for this or anything but I think it’s important to consider that at some point if we don’t just make the move off anyway, nobody ever will

          • O_R_I_O_N@lemm.ee
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            1 day ago

            That’s a ridiculous assertion. More items that EBay? Where’d you get that idea?

            • Gork@sopuli.xyz
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              1 day ago

              People are generally closer physically in Facebook marketplace compared to the global eBay market.

              • NeedyPlatter@lemmy.ca
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                16 hours ago

                This is a big factor for me. Attracting local people means that I can meet up in person and not have to spend additional money for shipping ,or worry that the item arrived damaged or is lost during transit.