Technology

Shocking Discovery: Meta and Yandex Expose Android Users' Privacy!

2025-06-03

Author: Sophie

Privacy in Peril: The Unveiling

In a startling revelation, researchers have unearthed alarming methods employed by Meta, the American social media giant, and Yandex, its Russian counterpart, that significantly compromise the privacy protections of Android users.

Backdoor Tracking Uncovered!

The illicit tracking revolves around the use of Meta Pixel and Yandex Metrica, scripts embedded in countless popular websites. By exploiting Android permissions, these scripts funnel cookies from your web activities directly to Meta and Yandex apps, allowing the collection and transmission of sensitive data to remote servers.

Are Your Activities Really Private?

Researchers from a Madrid science institute have raised red flags, warning that this web-to-app tracking not only invades user privacy but also paves the way for malicious third-party apps to intercept sensitive cookie data. With Meta Pixel residing on around six million websites and Yandex Metrica on nearly three million, a staggering amount of data is at risk.

How and When Did This Start?

According to the researchers, Meta activated its tracking system in September, while Yandex has been operating in this manner since February 2017. Meta's spokesperson stated that they halted the tracking upon discovering the concerns and are currently in talks with Google to rectify a potential policy miscommunication.

Privacy Protections: A False Sense of Security?

This invasive data collection technique undermines common privacy safeguards—user permission settings, incognito browsing, and even deleting cookies—rendering them virtually ineffective. "There's a ton of data collected, detailing every online action—shopping preferences, cart activities, and purchase completions," revealed Günes Acar, a researcher at Radboud University.

The Research Journey: A Closer Look

Acar's investigation ignited after he spotted a website utilizing Meta Pixel that transmitted data through Android internals. His research unveiled how the Facebook SDK began including local host calls to Meta Pixel, a discovery that left app developers puzzled and seeking answers.

Sneaky Techniques Exposed!

One deceptive method, dubbed "SDP munging," allows Meta to link web codes to their Android apps. By cleverly inserting tracking cookies into protocols, they can monitor internet traffic while circumventing Google’s defenses. Remarkably, when Google updated Chrome to block this tactic, Meta responded with a workaround almost instantly.

The Fight for User Privacy Continues

In response to the findings, Google has implemented countermeasures aimed at blocking these web-to-app techniques. Yet, the researchers argue that a more robust solution is necessary to ensure user privacy. They caution that similar invasion tactics could potentially be exploited on iOS devices and other platforms.

What Does This Mean for Users?

As these findings ripple through the tech world, users are left questioning their digital safety and the lengths companies will go to collect data. With the lines between privacy and exploitation blurred, it’s time for users to stay vigilant and question the platforms they engage with.