• RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.works
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    19 hours ago

    save you a click: it’s in-app tracking and device screenshots. Don’t install apps that have a working website. Also don’t use Facebook.

    “There were no audio leaks at all – not a single app activated the microphone,” said Christo Wilson, a computer scientist working on the project. “Then we started seeing things we didn’t expect. Apps were automatically taking screenshots of themselves and sending them to third parties. In one case, the app took video of the screen activity and sent that information to a third party.”

    Out of over 17,000 Android apps examined, more than 9,000 had potential permissions to take screenshots. And a number of apps were found to actively be doing so, taking screenshots and sending them to third-party sources.

    • bl4kers@lemmy.ml
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      3 hours ago

      Websites do the same thing. Example: openreplay.com

      Using a browser is still better because users have more agency. But switching to the web variant isn’t a magic bullet on this front.

      • RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.works
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        3 hours ago

        The browser version at least does not have the ability to take screenshots, but you will always be tracked on the websites you use, especially if their business model is advertising-based

        • bl4kers@lemmy.ml
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          2 hours ago

          It does. That’s what session replay is. Granted it’s scoped to the website itself, so no browser or desktop.