Protect Yourself From Meta’s Latest Attack on Privacy – publication
20 juni 2025
Researchers recently caught Meta using an egregious new tracking technique to spy on you, exploiting a technical loophole, the company was able to have their apps snoop on users’ web browsing.
This tracking technique stands out for its flagrant disregard of core security protections built into phones and browsers. The episode is yet another reason to distrust Meta, block web tracking, and end surveillance advertising. Fortunately, there are steps that you, your browser, and your government can take to fight online tracking:
Choose a browser with better default privacy protections than Chrome. For example, Brave and DuckDuckGo protected users from this tracking technique because they block Meta’s tracking pixel by default. Firefox only partially blocked the new tracking technique with its default settings, but fully blocked it for users with “Enhanced Tracking Protection” set to “Strict.”
Reduce the number of ways your information can leak by deleting apps you don’t trust or don’t regularly use. Try opting for websites over apps when possible. In this case, and many similar cases, using the Facebook and Instagram website instead of the apps would have limited data collection. Even though both can contain tracking code, apps can access information that websites generally can’t, like a persistent “advertising ID” that companies use to track you (follow EFF’s instructions to turn it off if you haven’t already).
EFF’s free browser extension blocks trackers to stop companies from spying on you online. Although Privacy Badger would’ve stopped Meta’s latest tracking technique by blocking their pixel, Firefox for Android is the only mobile browser it currently supports. You can install Privacy Badger on Chrome, Firefox, and Edge on your desktop computer.
Meta’s business model creates an incentive to collect as much information as possible about people to sell targeted ads. Short of deleting your accounts, you have a number of options to limit tracking and how the company uses your data.
Researchers recently caught Meta using an egregious new tracking technique to spy on you, exploiting a technical loophole, the company was able to have their apps snoop on users’ web browsing.
This tracking technique stands out for its flagrant disregard of core security protections built into phones and browsers. The episode is yet another reason to distrust Meta, block web tracking, and end surveillance advertising. Fortunately, there are steps that you, your browser, and your government can take to fight online tracking:
Choose a browser with better default privacy protections than Chrome. For example, Brave and DuckDuckGo protected users from this tracking technique because they block Meta’s tracking pixel by default. Firefox only partially blocked the new tracking technique with its default settings, but fully blocked it for users with “Enhanced Tracking Protection” set to “Strict.”
It’s also a good idea to avoid using in-app browsers. When you open links inside the Facebook or Instagram apps, Meta can track you more easily than if you opened the same links in an external browser.
Reduce the number of ways your information can leak by deleting apps you don’t trust or don’t regularly use. Try opting for websites over apps when possible. In this case, and many similar cases, using the Facebook and Instagram website instead of the apps would have limited data collection. Even though both can contain tracking code, apps can access information that websites generally can’t, like a persistent “advertising ID” that companies use to track you (follow EFF’s instructions to turn it off if you haven’t already).
EFF’s free browser extension blocks trackers to stop companies from spying on you online. Although Privacy Badger would’ve stopped Meta’s latest tracking technique by blocking their pixel, Firefox for Android is the only mobile browser it currently supports. You can install Privacy Badger on Chrome, Firefox, and Edge on your desktop computer.
Meta’s business model creates an incentive to collect as much information as possible about people to sell targeted ads. Short of deleting your accounts, you have a number of options to limit tracking and how the company uses your data.
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Protect Yourself From Meta’s Latest Attack on Privacy
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