Facebook and TikTok Collect User Data via Notifications: According To Study

Several commonly used iPhone applications, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X/Twitter, are circumventing Apple’s privacy laws in order to collect user data through alerts, according to a recent discovery made by security experts working for Mysk Inc., a business that specializes in app development.

In spite of the fact that users take precautions to close applications and restrict data collecting in the background, some applications take use of alerts in order to circumvent protective measures.

Despite the fact that the data obtained is not relevant to the processing of notifications, it is suspected that it will be used for analytics, advertising, and monitoring users across different apps.

According to a study by Gizmodo, security professionals are concerned about the apparent frequency of this intrusive behavior, despite the fact that some of the organizations who are considered to be involved reject these findings.

The researchers who were responsible for the experiments, Tommy Mysk and Talal Haj Bakry, expressed their surprise at the degree to which this type of data collection is being utilized often.

It is common knowledge that dismissing a notification, which is typically considered to be harmless, causes the transmission of important device information to remote servers. This raises issues over the on-demand access that developers have.

Apple Security Questioned: Facebook and TikTok Collect User Data via Notifications

Researchers claim that this issue is not limited to particular applications, showing that it is a systemic problem within the iPhone ecosystem. This is in contrast to others who have denied the issue, such as Meta and LinkedIn. The claims that Apple places a high priority on user privacy are called into question by this disclosure, which is consistent with Mysk’s earlier exposés.

Apple has made it clear that it does not allow the practice of “fingerprinting,” which is a method of identifying individuals based on seemingly insignificant facts about their devices, to be used. The data that was acquired appears to be used in this method. Because of this, the significance of user control through the use of settings and rules is highlighted.

When a user interacts with a notice on Facebook, the app is able to collect information such as the duration of the phone restart, the amount of free memory space, and the IP address of the user. This allows for more accurate user identification. During the tests, it was discovered that LinkedIn not only ensures the functionality of notifications but also collects data that appears to be connected to advertising efforts.

Skeptics believe that such information, albeit being less sensitive than location data, is valuable for advertising reasons, despite the fact that Meta and LinkedIn have said that the data acquired is only for the goal of improving user experiences and is not shared with any third parties.

During the upcoming change in the regulations that govern the iPhone operating system, which will take effect in the spring of 2024, app developers will be required to shed light on how they make use of specific software components that are referred to as “APIs.” Concerns continue to be raised regarding Apple’s ability to apply these regulations, despite the fact that this may drive businesses to reveal the data gathering tactics they employ.

The researchers continue to maintain their suspicion, despite the fact that there are the possibility of harmless explanations such as old code. This highlights the necessity for increased openness and user safety. Users are finding themselves questioning the extent to which their digital activities are being monitored for the sake of targeted advertising as privacy standards continue to improve.

Safeguarding Your Private Data Online

Regarding the protection of data that is stored online, the utilization of a virtual private network (VPN) service emerges as a highly effective solution. Virtual private networks (VPNs) use encryption technologies such as OpenVPN and L2TP/IPSec to ensure end-to-end encryption. This is accomplished by allowing users to select a server and location upon which to establish an internet connection.

Not only does this protect data, but it also conceals IP addresses, which enables users to remain anonymous and gain access to content that is region-locked.

According to the National Cybersecurity Alliance, another essential component is doing away with the practice of keeping passwords in browsers. Password management can be made more secure by disabling automatic password storing and selecting a reliable password manager that is compatible with multiple devices.

An additional recommendation made by an article published by Aura is to update software and operating systems on a regular basis in order to fix known vulnerabilities and improve overall security. This recommendation was highlighted in a report published by Bitdefender in 2021 on Windows systems.