this post was submitted on 10 Jun 2025
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Privacy

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"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."

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[–] [email protected] 123 points 1 week ago (4 children)

32 billion still is nothing for these scumbags

JAIL MARC ZUCKERBERG ALREADY. That is still what we do with criminals, is it not?

[–] [email protected] 46 points 1 week ago

Not the rich ones. See Trump and all his cronies.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 week ago

That is still what we do with working class criminals

FTFY

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 week ago

That is still what we do with criminals

Haha

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

No, we elect them as president

[–] [email protected] 60 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Its reliant on running a normie phone and OS, and running the native FB, instagram, or other apps in the Meta constellation. These apps create persistent services that internally backchannel sensitive browser data back to them via internal ports. All browser traffic on devices running these apps should be considered compromised.

The solution is to run Graphene or other de-googled OS and avoid Meta apps like the plague.

[–] [email protected] 95 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The solution is to have stronger privacy laws.

If everyone followed your solution then Graphene will become the normie os and Facebook will start targeting it. Choosing an esoteric system for yourself is a good way for a free people to protect their privacy, but it won't scale.

When we write our new constitution we need to include privacy as a right.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 week ago

grapheneOS isn't security through obscurity, they make efforts to harden the phone's privacy. You're right that, if it was mainstream, Meta would target it directly though.

The solution is to remove the profit motive from acquiring, selling, and monetizing our data. Laws alone don't stop big corps from doing things.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

The solution is to have stronger privacy laws.

Many people have the power to make certain privacy attacks impossible right now. I consider making that change better for those people than adding a law which can't stop the behavior, but just adds a negative incentive.

I wouldn't wait around for the law to prosecute MITM attacks, I would use end to end encryption.

Choosing an esoteric system for yourself is a good way for a free people to protect their privacy, but it won't scale.

If this is referencing using a barely-used system as a privacy or security protection, then I would regard that as bad protection.

Everyone using GrapheneOS would be a net security upgrade. All the protections in place wouldn't just fade away now that Facebook wants to spy on that OS. They're still in place; Facebook's job is still harder than it otherwise would be.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The problem is that GrapheneOS is only available for Pixel devices.

I really wish they would support other manufacturers, because I don't really trust Google to make decent hardware (and to be frank, I don't trust them with anything at all).

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I use e/os which is at least de-googled & based on Lineage
Its not exactly Graphene but it works on 8+ old devices of various manifacturers

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I am very keen to get a Fairphone with e/os next time I switch devices.

Does it work well with Android Auto? I can't drive much without a map and my music playlist.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

did not test that but here is a page how to "google" the "de-googled" os for supporting that
https://doc.e.foundation/support-topics/android-auto

because of that lineage could be a better option

About Fairphone: there is an alternative (Shiftphone) that is more expensive but with the main plus points of having a higher storage option and the mainboard is replaceable, they also have somewhere a cheap (~200€) phone that should work if you really just need a phone
(i mention that as an option, because having choice is always better even if it ends up being the first thing that gets choosen)

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 week ago (3 children)

The solution is public execution of at least a few tech CEOs. Then you'll see how quick the invisible hand of the market seems to stop demanding profit maximization via spyware.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

LMAO. You're not wrong...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Don't forget to also select a few shareholders for the sacrifice, those are what CEOs try to please.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Yeah, start from the biggest shareholder that ain't the CEO

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

We need many more Luigis (allegedly)

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Almost sounds like you're blaming the user while also not understanding that a de-google phone isn't the solution because it's not part of the tracking.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

While this is true, it's worth clarifying that GrapheneOS in particular is able to run apps sandboxed, so they can't communicate with eachother as they can on a stock OS.

Having said that, no one should expect that their right to privacy is given (or fought for), unless they take it first. Yes, laws and all, but user education is the bigger issue.

Users were onboarded onto the Internet before they had an understanding of the differences between cyberspace and meatspace, and how that could affect them. Placing the blame (and solutions) solely on third-parties is a dangerous mistake.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

No, it is Meta and these companies fault, but I focus on things I can actually control. Just spewing the party line default Lemmy opinion of "capitalism is the problem, blah" doesn't do anything to solve the problem.

Educating people so they understand how the surveillance works, and explaining that there are alternatives, actually gets us closer to a solution.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The solution is to ~~run Graphene or other de-googled OS and~~ avoid Meta ~~apps~~ like the plague.

FTFY

Doesn't matter what OS you use.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

I used Facebook on my GOS phone. I thank Meta for refreshing my weariness of big corp.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I think this would warrant to get all websites using the facebook pixel on safe browsing lists and AV databases as infected with malware.

Maybe then the pressure on meta would be big enough to stop this shit, if all websites stopped to not use that anymore.

Btw, does anyone know if the localhost tracking is implemented in Whatsapp as well, or just FB and Instagram?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

WhatsApp is owned by Meta, so you should expect that they will do this soon enough if they aren't doing it already.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I would bet a ton of money on WhatsApp being a spy machine in a way people don’t know yet. Their bullshit of end to end encryption and privacy while being a free app is undoubtedly some ruse to squeeze data out of people. There isn’t a fucking doubt in my mind.

Facebook is owning and operating a free and private messaging service? To what end? Yeah, nah. Not fuckin buying it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (3 children)

My guess is that in some form they track contacts and link clicks. I genuinely don't think they're reading messages, but I think they do know eg that Bob is someone that likes to send people links and that there are 5 people that always open those links. So they may have directed model of linked topics between people.

Even if this isn't true though, owning WhatsApp probably gives Meta a lot of culture impact in a similar way to Google and Gmail. The fact that they could create their Meta AI model and put it in front of like a billion people overnight won't be lost on shareholders.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 week ago (4 children)

im wondering, does using uBlock help in any way? can they block metas pixel and thereby protect you?

[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 week ago (2 children)

You can Block WebRTC via uBlock.

From my understanding, this, along with setting Meta on fire, may mitigate the issue.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Let the Zucc feel the heat

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Is that going to make video conference harder to use?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago

Yes. Because it blocks the meta pixel script from loading to begin with.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

I would say it prevents the downloading and execution of such a script. DNS adblock would probably help too.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

there is a blocklist with a name like block outsider intrusion to lan, but it's off by default

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 week ago

This feels like people should go to prison over it

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago (4 children)

You’re not affected if (and only if)

You always used the Brave browser or the DuckDuckGo search engine on mobile

I found that odd, but reading the more technical write up (linked in the article) it seems Brave blocks localhost communication.

The Chrome proposal references a single use case. I've never seen a website that sets up my local devices, but is this a new thing?

Why did localhost not get blocked earlier? This seems like a huge hole browsers have ignored for years.


Also the DuckDuckGo exception doesn't make sense to me. Does DuckDuckGo have Facebook trackers on it to begin with? Whatever site DuckDuckGo sends you to, if they have the trackers, you'll get tracked.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I suspect they might mean duckduckgo browser and not search engine?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

I completely forgot that existed! Double checking the technical article they do correctly label it as a browser in their testing matrix/grid.

I just got confused by the clear "Brave browser" call out. When I hear DuckDuckGo I definitely don't think browser.

Good catch!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Also if you don't have the Facebook or instagram apps on your phone.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

This is the way... even better, have no Meta accounts of any kind

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

On pc jetbrains toolbox uses localhost to login via browser for some reason, which was blocked by one of my extensions

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Because if they were to block it, it would break lots of things, like when they broke file:// and users have no way to turn it back on except enable dev mode or debug mode, let alone having some easy way to toggle it on a per domain or per container basis..

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

Oh, malware I think it's called

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

Hmmm. That reminds me that I need to check to make sure the router is blocking all Facebook traffic.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

I can't see from this article whether "could cost" means there are lawsuits ongoing/pending, or just the author has speculated what the fine could be if there were a lawsuit?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

"Could" lol

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

The more it costs them the better

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