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How does Facebook know what I am doing outside the app?

maxsix

maxsix

Suspended
Jun 28, 2015
3,100
3,731
Western Hemisphere
It truly amazes me that some people actually believe the fantasy that Facebook doesn't track every move you make. They obviously have no knowledge of the power of technology and what it is capable of doing. Whether it's the app or the site, Facebook knows all about you. Far more than Google does. Facebook is a voyeurs dream. Just ask Zuckerberg :eek:
 
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magicMac

macrumors 65816
Apr 13, 2010
1,013
428
UK
maxsix said:
It truly amazes me that some people actually believe the fantasy that Facebook doesn't track every move you make. They obviously have no knowledge of the power of technology and what it is capable of doing. Whether it's the app or the site, Facebook knows all about you. Far more than Google does. Facebook is a voyeurs dream. Just ask Zuckerberg :eek:
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Exactly, that's why they get so much money from advertisers, because the adverts can be tailored to things the user manually "liked". Unlike Google who makes guesses based on what you search for. I hate to say it, but I think I prefer Facebooks method though, because one might search for something unpleasant on google for educational purposes (like an illness or info about a medical procedure) and the get blasted with adverts for the next week about it.
 
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alphonseM

macrumors member
Mar 29, 2014
85
38
MEJHarrison said:
I can't speak for others, but as for myself, I'm well aware of what Facebook is doing. I realize they're using an API in iOS to present data on my phone, without any round trips to Facebook, to perform a nice function for me (making it quicker and easier to upload or whatever). I fully understand that Facebook doesn't have access to my data until I post it on their site. I'm a developer and understand what's happening behind the scenes.

With that said, I don't care for it. 99% of the time I load Facebook, I'm not doing so to post one of the latest photos in my camera roll. And I find it annoying that Facebook is suggesting those photos. They're talking up screen space for no good reason (for ME). Posting a photo is so ridiculously easy on Facebook, I really don't feel the need for them to provide another service to me to do the same thing. And I already know of multiple ways to do it that are, in my opinion, just as simple.

I'm not suggesting that they remove the feature. I could see how it would be useful for some people I know. But I'd love to be able to turn it off on my device.

Crazy paranoia follows, so feel free to skip this little rant... I'm quite sure this is just me, but it almost comes across as begging. I'll post what I want to post. I don't need Facebook to make it easier and bug me to post things I might not have thought of. I don't need a computer telling me "hey, what don't you upload this also. We'd LOVE to have that data". That probably sounds quite silly, but to me it just seems like they're encouraging people to upload as much personal information as they can. I already have to ignore the requests for my phone number and other personal data. Now there's another place where they're asking me to give them something I have no intention of giving them. They need to just back off and be happy with what little I'm willing to give. I don't need a "personal assistant" suggesting data I should give to them. If this was real life and some dude kept knocking on my door everyday asking for something when I've already told him no multiple times previously, I'd be upset. I see no reason to accept that behavior because it's coming from code instead of a person.
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Sounds neither crazy nor paranoid. As with location, microphone and contact sharing, I think iOS (and Android for that matter) needs a to come up with a way to better silo the data - or at least leave it up to the user to decide when the data is moved across from the browser to the app and vice versa. In this case, however, I just don't think it will be quite so easy for Apple to do that. Facebook is using multiple data points to guesstimate your identity across devices (wifi, ip address, cookies etc). Of those, Facebook connect is probably the worst offender. Given that almost all websites these days use Facebook connect, Facebook knows which sites you visit, which pages/articles you read and products you shop for. When combined it adds up to to a pretty detailed profile.
 
C

C DM

macrumors Sandy Bridge
Oct 17, 2011
51,392
19,461
alphonseM said:
Sounds neither crazy nor paranoid. As with location, microphone and contact sharing, I think iOS (and Android for that matter) needs a to come up with a way to better silo the data - or at least leave it up to the user to decide when the data is moved across from the browser to the app and vice versa. In this case, however, I just don't think it will be quite so easy for Apple to do that. Facebook is using multiple data points to guesstimate your identity across devices (wifi, ip address, cookies etc). Of those, Facebook connect is probably the worst offender. Given that almost all websites these days use Facebook connect, Facebook knows which sites you visit, which pages/articles you read and products you shop for. When combined it adds up to to a pretty detailed profile.
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Most of the data is protected in iOS. Seems like the only thing at this point that might not be is the clipboard which is like that by design as it's there to share data across the OS and apps.
 
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notrack

macrumors 6502
Feb 19, 2012
447
94
Shockwave78 said:
Have any if you notice this lately. At the top of the Facebook app it will ask about you about recent things that you've done on your phone and whether not you want to post them. Just now and asked me if I wanted to post a website that I just looked at and gave the address.

How is it getting this information through Safari and how do I disable it?

Thanks!
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They follow you around the web by their widgets. Every site that has a fb widget can identify you so fb knows which sites you visited (and how you used it, eg which forum you visit). It woks the same way like visiting the actual fb site.
That's why content blocker work, they block these kind of widgets on websites.
So I guess fb didn't track you on the iPhone but through the web an asked you by sending it to your phone.
 
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Ashin

Ashin

macrumors 6502a
Jun 19, 2010
959
201
Deleted the Facebook app ages ago and use a Safari bookmark instead - the icon looks exactly like the Facebook app, so for the OCD amongst us it's a great solution ;)

Obviously not 100% effective, but you'll enjoy better battery life (the Facebook app is awful), but you do have more control over cookies with Safari.
 
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