Phone Apps quietly ship data to big companies, in this case, facebook
February 22, 2019 1:09 PM Subscribe
WSJ: "You Give Apps Sensitive Personal Information. Then They Tell Facebook." Many apps, whether iOS or Android (though maybe not KaiOS?), build in libraries from other companies. For small development teams, app analytics tools provide a quick and free way to see how people use your app. Showing advertisements makes a little money. And hey, everybody does it. What could go wrong? The Wall Street Journal identified a couple problem areas: heart rates, periods, househunting
Copy the link -> open up private/incognito mode in your browser -> paste the full link into a popular search engine (eg. google) -> click through to
the full or cached version of the article
posted by pantsrobot at 1:31 PM on February 22, 2019 [7 favorites]
the full or cached version of the article
posted by pantsrobot at 1:31 PM on February 22, 2019 [7 favorites]
Apologies for posting a link to a paywalled site.
The Verge has a summary of the article which is generally available.
posted by maximka at 1:43 PM on February 22, 2019
The Verge has a summary of the article which is generally available.
posted by maximka at 1:43 PM on February 22, 2019
I've come to decide that this kind of shit—corporations getting ahold of my personal information—is like the weather. There are some things I can do to reduce my exposure, but it's fundamentally out of my control. Most of the time it's fine, sometimes it's annoying, and if I'm unlucky it might ruin my life. But really, what am I supposed to do about it?
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 1:55 PM on February 22, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 1:55 PM on February 22, 2019 [4 favorites]
I am really not a fan of Facebook these days given all the recent news, but as a software engineer this actually seems more on the individual companies involved than on Facebook.
Facebook basically provides a general analytics package to companies for free – Facebook collects some data and the individual companies can then buy ads based on those parameters. There are companies like Segment that charge tech companies a pretty penny for the same service (disclaimer: we use Segment where I work). The companies choose what data to send to Facebook – so I'm not at all surprised to see that companies that collect personal information then pass it on to their analytics providers.
Facebook says its against their recommendations and/or terms, but I also don't see how they could realistically stop companies from doing this. So while I don't love that this happens, Facebook isn't where the ire should be aimed in this instance.
posted by Amplify at 2:02 PM on February 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
Facebook basically provides a general analytics package to companies for free – Facebook collects some data and the individual companies can then buy ads based on those parameters. There are companies like Segment that charge tech companies a pretty penny for the same service (disclaimer: we use Segment where I work). The companies choose what data to send to Facebook – so I'm not at all surprised to see that companies that collect personal information then pass it on to their analytics providers.
Facebook says its against their recommendations and/or terms, but I also don't see how they could realistically stop companies from doing this. So while I don't love that this happens, Facebook isn't where the ire should be aimed in this instance.
posted by Amplify at 2:02 PM on February 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
The article plays it up as "information sent to Facebook" though in one sense it's "information sent via Facebook." The app developers wanted this info, Facebook is acting as an intermediary to pass it along.
I expect that Facebook uses this info as far as "this person has this app installed and was using it at these times" but doesn't do anything with the specific info the specific app collects. Not out of any respect for people's privacy, but because the info is of low value to them.
The app developers are more likely to use this info, because they know how it is being collected and know better what it means.
In many cases, it's relatively benign, like they want to know how their app is being used to inform future design changes. I expect it isn't always so benign.
Sometimes I'm annoyed when something demands it send its data back for what seems like no benefit to me. Like, I've got this whole computer right here, I bet I could store some data locally.
posted by RobotHero at 2:04 PM on February 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
I expect that Facebook uses this info as far as "this person has this app installed and was using it at these times" but doesn't do anything with the specific info the specific app collects. Not out of any respect for people's privacy, but because the info is of low value to them.
The app developers are more likely to use this info, because they know how it is being collected and know better what it means.
In many cases, it's relatively benign, like they want to know how their app is being used to inform future design changes. I expect it isn't always so benign.
Sometimes I'm annoyed when something demands it send its data back for what seems like no benefit to me. Like, I've got this whole computer right here, I bet I could store some data locally.
posted by RobotHero at 2:04 PM on February 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
If you only install apps from f-droid then you probably won't have this specific problem, as it keeps track of anti-features such as third-party analytics SDKs.
posted by BungaDunga at 2:07 PM on February 22, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by BungaDunga at 2:07 PM on February 22, 2019 [6 favorites]
The Way Things Are
IS NOT
The Way Things Must Be
posted by Big Al 8000 at 2:24 PM on February 22, 2019 [9 favorites]
IS NOT
The Way Things Must Be
posted by Big Al 8000 at 2:24 PM on February 22, 2019 [9 favorites]
Not all, but most--probably the vast majority--of shitty corporate information-hoarding is due to advertising. That's the driver of all this stuff; they're not collecting information because they actually care if you're buying a house / trying to get pregnant / trying to decide where to go to college / whatever, in some sort of abstract way. They only care about that stuff insofar as it lets them sell more targeted ads.
Sometimes the advertising stuff is indirect: a company that doesn't sell ads directly might still collect information, because they can sell it to intermediaries who sell it to other people who sell it on to advertisers. It's a whole secondary and tertiary market. But at the end of the day it's advertising that creates a market for this stuff.
It's not an instant solution, but if people stopped using ad-supported apps (if you want an app, pay for it, ya cheapskate) and used adblockers everywhere, it would really undermine the economic engine that powers all this information-harvesting.
posted by Kadin2048 at 3:25 PM on February 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
Sometimes the advertising stuff is indirect: a company that doesn't sell ads directly might still collect information, because they can sell it to intermediaries who sell it to other people who sell it on to advertisers. It's a whole secondary and tertiary market. But at the end of the day it's advertising that creates a market for this stuff.
It's not an instant solution, but if people stopped using ad-supported apps (if you want an app, pay for it, ya cheapskate) and used adblockers everywhere, it would really undermine the economic engine that powers all this information-harvesting.
posted by Kadin2048 at 3:25 PM on February 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
Some of the apps I use simply do not have an ad-free
version. Facebook certainly does not, although I don't personally use Facebook. And honestly, it's the rarer, non-advertising-related uses (like manipulating elections, f'rinstance) that are the ones that are likely to do real damage.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 3:31 PM on February 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
version. Facebook certainly does not, although I don't personally use Facebook. And honestly, it's the rarer, non-advertising-related uses (like manipulating elections, f'rinstance) that are the ones that are likely to do real damage.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 3:31 PM on February 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
And let's not pretend that law enforcement isn't interested in this information, either.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 3:31 PM on February 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 3:31 PM on February 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
But really, what am I supposed to do about it?
Be aware. Inform others. Advocate for regulation.
posted by mistersquid at 4:14 PM on February 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
Be aware. Inform others. Advocate for regulation.
posted by mistersquid at 4:14 PM on February 22, 2019 [3 favorites]
"How Facebook tracks you on Android (even if you don’t have a Facebook account)" 43m.
TL;DR = half the apps they tested (from list of top apps, with millions of installs), immediately contact Facebook once app starts, and send unique ID plus meta data. This is from the SDK's init. Changing settings in the phone to share less/not-track, end up sending more. Some apps say "We do not share your data without your consent" but, on startup, SDK does that.
From the metadata, they build profiles. For the presenter, they put her in a category of people who spend a lot of money for alcohol at home and maybe that she has a kid (I forget the video is from a month ago).
So the article sounds a lot like this video.
posted by ecco at 4:29 PM on February 22, 2019 [6 favorites]
TL;DR = half the apps they tested (from list of top apps, with millions of installs), immediately contact Facebook once app starts, and send unique ID plus meta data. This is from the SDK's init. Changing settings in the phone to share less/not-track, end up sending more. Some apps say "We do not share your data without your consent" but, on startup, SDK does that.
From the metadata, they build profiles. For the presenter, they put her in a category of people who spend a lot of money for alcohol at home and maybe that she has a kid (I forget the video is from a month ago).
So the article sounds a lot like this video.
posted by ecco at 4:29 PM on February 22, 2019 [6 favorites]
> But really, what am I supposed to do about it?
In addition to what others have said, find and support institutions/organizations/companies that actually do take privacy seriously (MeFi, afik, being one of them). Vote with your feet, both in leaving and in going.
posted by cirgue at 1:22 PM on February 25, 2019
In addition to what others have said, find and support institutions/organizations/companies that actually do take privacy seriously (MeFi, afik, being one of them). Vote with your feet, both in leaving and in going.
posted by cirgue at 1:22 PM on February 25, 2019
On Android it might be possible to blackhole Facebook's domains with something like Blokada. Lots of apps could just break, but many of them probably just have facebook analytics in there as extra and would carry on as normal without it.
posted by BungaDunga at 1:47 PM on February 25, 2019
posted by BungaDunga at 1:47 PM on February 25, 2019
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posted by knackerthrasher at 1:12 PM on February 22, 2019 [17 favorites]