Alert! Instagram can track your online activity

According to the latest report, an analysis conducted by Felix Krause on the iOS platform, Instagram can track users' web activity through an in-app browser. The report also shares that it can track users' text options and input, credit card information, passwords, and other sensitive details. This is possible if users click the link within the app.

The latest report claims that Instagram and Facebook use their own in-app browser. Most apps on Apple iPhones use the default Safari browser. MacRumors reported that these social media platforms use their own in-app browsers to open websites or links within the app.

"This allows Instagram to monitor everything happening on external websites without the consent from the user, nor the website provider. The Instagram app injects its tracking code into every website shown, including when clicking on ads, enabling them to monitor all user interactions, like every button & link tapped, text selections, screenshots, as well as any form inputs, like passwords, addresses, and credit card numbers," Krause shares in his report.

Find how Instagram tracks users' online activity

Krause noted that the built-in browser of the social media platforms Instagram and Facebook is based on WebKit. The report says that these social media platforms inject a tracking JavaScript code called "Meta Pixel" into all links in the app. In return, this in-app browser allows Instagram to track everything a user browses on an external website without their knowledge.

However, on its developer portal, Meta shared that "the Meta Pixel is a snippet of JavaScript code that allows you to track visitor activity on your website. It works by loading a small library of functions which you can use whenever a site visitor takes an action (called an event) that you want to track (called a conversion)."

In particular, it indicates that there is no confirmation that the social media platforms owned by Meta, such as Facebook and Instagram, have collected user data or not. Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Hans India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.