- cross-posted to:
- privacy@lemmy.ml
- privacy@lemmy.ca
- cross-posted to:
- privacy@lemmy.ml
- privacy@lemmy.ca
“Meta devised an ingenious system (“localhost tracking”) that bypassed Android’s sandbox protections to identify you while browsing on your mobile phone — even if you used a VPN, the browser’s incognito mode, and refused or deleted cookies in every session.”
My guess is that in some form they track contacts and link clicks. I genuinely don’t think they’re reading messages, but I think they do know eg that Bob is someone that likes to send people links and that there are 5 people that always open those links. So they may have directed model of linked topics between people.
Even if this isn’t true though, owning WhatsApp probably gives Meta a lot of culture impact in a similar way to Google and Gmail. The fact that they could create their Meta AI model and put it in front of like a billion people overnight won’t be lost on shareholders.
But google and Gmail are massive spying machines. They’re not just cultural impact loss leaders.
Oh sorry, I’m not denying that at all. I was only drawing on the comparison of Gmail being pretty ubiquitous like WhatsApp is.
Yeah, I mean outside the US WhatsApp is basically texting for everyone I’ve met. It’s definitely accomplished that. I just can’t imagine something that massive not being used to spy. Especially given that it’s free. I don’t imagine they’re above reading messages. Because all of that server power and access worldwide, they’re definitely prying somehow. Like we are just now finding out they’ve been circumventing VPNs and all methods to block their cookies? It’s literally impossible they’re not prying data out of WhatsApp users.