this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2024
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Privacy
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TL;DR: ProtonMail might want to delete this before they get sued by Meta for defamation, because the original research does not say that about Meta, it says it about TikTok.
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I found the same sources, but if you'll notice, the article that ProtonMail linked to actually isn't about that. It's about a different and new Facebook thing that has iffy privacy settings as well.
It links to another Gizmodo article about it, buried deep in ONE paragraph.
The problem? That article is about TikTok and the things detailed about the javascript injected that's keylogging is all related to TikTok.
This paragraph from the article links to this article in question:
https://gizmodo.com/tiktok-keylogging-privacy-meta-1849433690
This article references Meta a few times but is mostly about TikTok. Then THAT article links to the original blog post:
https://krausefx.com/blog/announcing-inappbrowsercom-see-what-javascript-commands-get-executed-in-an-in-app-browser
He has info on TikTok and Instagram, and while Instagram is injecting javascript into an internal browser instead of the default system browser, it is not noted as capturing text including passwords.
Capturing text and passwords is only ascribed by the security research to TikTok and TikTok alone. Meta companies are using similar Js injection tactics, but they, according to the original research, do not include keylogging.
That lines up with everything I've read about TikTok being the worst of the spyware social media apps. Unfortunately most online discussion about that subject gets filled with "Whatabout America spying?" posts trying to normalize the acceptance of everybody doing it. The discussions should be about how TikTok is the worst AND Facebook is close on their tails for the race of spying. All of the spyware social media apps are a bad thing.
I'm always thinking about Chinese intellegency agency thinking 10 years ago: "How can we create a spyware that everyone will use so we can collect all the data we want without too much troubles?". Then they looked at Facebook doing the same for profit and they understood that all they have to do is to create a well designed social media app and make it so trendy that people will be diverted enough to not think about the spying issue. And then they fucking nailed it, it worked so well, I'm impressed. The average people do happily through away their private life for a shot of well crafted trendy entertainment everyday. All the revelations about spying didn't stop the growth one bit.
nobody's trying to normalize that. Just calling out the blatant hypocrisy. These social media companies started in US long ago and it has more data than you can possibly imagine, People suddenly mad when a foreign company starts doing something nefarious is on brand for people who want to point fingers at everyone else but themselves.
Facebook started when https was very rare, browsers sent login authentication in plain text, internet explorer was still popular and they probably exploited way more vulnerabilities that Tiktok ever did. Facebook, Google, Twitter tracked users through share buttons on websites. Everyone installed multiple Internet explorer addons with nefarious permissions, malicious code without a single thought. Their owners are billionaires now, exploiting, tracking and selling your data to whoever pays best. It was all common knowledge.
Where were these concerns for a decade before tiktok even was a thought. If social media companies were held responsible for privacy of the users, when Facebook, twitter were gaining hold, Tiktok wouldn't even be able to follow on their footsteps.
I don't use Facebook anymore and never have used tiktok, but fuck all concern trolling once someone other takes your cake. You reap what you sow.
Stay mad tho
You make a good point worth considering. For all non-USians/non-Chinese out there, all those social media giants are foreign corporations belonging to foreign powers.
The spying part of it is bad for the spying, not for who's doing it.
What the fuck are you talking about "Stay mad tho" ? It sounds like you agreed with what I said mostly. This shit is all bad, and that was my point.
They might not sue to avoid bringing more attention to it.