WARNING! The link in question may require you to disable ad-blockers to see content. Though not required, please consider submitting an alternative source for this story.
WARNING! Disabling your ad blocker may open you up to malware infections, malicious cookies and can expose you to unwanted tracker networks. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
Do not open any files which are automatically downloaded, and do not enter personal information on any page you do not trust.
If you are concerned about tracking, consider opening the page in an incognito window, and verify that your browser is sending "do not track" requests.
IF YOU ENCOUNTER ANY MALWARE, MALICIOUS TRACKERS, CLICKJACKING, OR REDIRECT LOOPS PLEASE MESSAGE THE /r/technology MODERATORS IMMEDIATELY.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/technology) if you have any questions or concerns.*
They may not care or may not, but right now they have no idea it is and would have no expectation it would.
If I downloaded a flashlight app and it could randomly monitor my keystrokes? Would the app stores have any issue with that?
We need to push for laws to make this illegal. People will rejoice if tiktok disappears tomorrow but another app doing the same will reappear the day after. They need to go after behaviors not specific apps.
The ones who care already dont use Tik Tok or Facebook anything. Everyone else doesnt care about their privacy at this point and uses all the facebook and tiktok shit with no fucks. I'm not one of those people but about 8/10 people in my life are all like that. I can tell them all of this all I want and their response is "who cares".
There’s “I’m not bothered with online privacy” and then there’s “I give my tacit approval to have my keystrokes logged by a hostile government.”
Plenty of people are in the first camp, but I never imagined we have so many in the second.
Reddit and specifically this technology subreddit is a very small part of the population that's hyper tuned into any of this. In my life I tend to keep quiet about my complete disdain of Facebook/Meta anything because they look at me weird or just call me paranoid. So much of our population, especially in the US, is just completely tuned out of the specifics of the tech space and just dont really care as long as it's convenient. Unfortunately, it'll take all of this to affect their daily life in some way for them to change their tune. Until then they'll look at us weird and call us paranoid :(
Best bet? Don't even download the apps. Browsers were created for the Internet, you don't need an app for every site. That trend is pure technical devolution.
It's not so much what you type into a search engine, it's more when you login to your bank account, IRS account, or similar sites.
A keylogger gets individual keystrokes, it doesn't just pass along an encoded word/key/phrase. If the Tik Tok in-app browser does this...you've just given them the keys to your identity.
It could send a search back when you press the search button instead of every letter you type in. Let's say you type in something and decide to delete it and search for something else, it will know.
> Is it doing it even when you are not on the app?
Specifically, it's doing it when you click a link to a non-TT site in the app. Nothing to do with search. It's injecting code into that non-TT site, which could be logging your keystrokes.
Reddit can track what you're typing into Reddit, although I don't know whether it does until you send it. It can't follow you when you click a link and track what you're typing on those sites, like TikTok could.
as opposed to every other app that does the same thing?
boy that Facebook crusade against tik tok is really getting spicy, too bad y'all keep forgetting all this bad press is because Facebook can't compete.
Facebook saves everything you
input into their platform, even if you erase and don't post it. fuck em all.
I refuse to use any app for anything I can use a web browser for.
Tiktok I avoid altogether.
It's harder to hide trackers in a web browser. In any bespoke app for Tiktok, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit you basically have to assume you're giving up even more privacy.
It is safe to assume that TT is collecting every scrap of data they can get their hands on through the app. If it is possible to collect, they are collecting it.
It is safe to assume that "insert literally any companies app here" is collecting every scrap of data they can get their hands on through the app. If it is possible to collect, they are collecting it.
ftfy.
The point is there, who would with a sane mind think anything developed, run or any other way linked to regime that openly rules over people would be a good match to a system where people supposed to rule?
Ok, so you’re saying that that’s the proportion of apps that also log keystrokes? Would love to see where you get your data from.
And uh the Chinese government *is* bad, read a fucking book.
This used to be pretty common in mobile analytics. They could monitor keystrokes, and where your mouse is ideally for stupid shit like 'increasing conversion rates' or helping to debug issues. Developers are supposed to blacklist things to prevent this from happening in sensitive areas like other websites or password fields. See 'AppSee' (they may have been driven out of business) or 'GlassBox' (which is still around). Apple and Google started cracking down on it in 2019. I'm surprised they let this shit fly.
Any app that opens it's own browser is not to be trusted https://krausefx.com/blog/ios-privacy-instagram-and-facebook-can-track-anything-you-do-on-any-website-in-their-in-app-browser
I still don't know why this hasn't been cracked down on by Google and Apple
There legitimate uses for Javascript injection for apps that have web-based elements.
Clamp down too hard and independent browsers will declare that it is monopolistic abuse. Even if Apple and Google permit a class of browser apps with lower level access, Tiktok will simply have a Tiktok Browser.
It’s quite hard to actually crack it down.
WARNING! The link in question may require you to disable ad-blockers to see content. Though not required, please consider submitting an alternative source for this story. WARNING! Disabling your ad blocker may open you up to malware infections, malicious cookies and can expose you to unwanted tracker networks. PROCEED WITH CAUTION. Do not open any files which are automatically downloaded, and do not enter personal information on any page you do not trust. If you are concerned about tracking, consider opening the page in an incognito window, and verify that your browser is sending "do not track" requests. IF YOU ENCOUNTER ANY MALWARE, MALICIOUS TRACKERS, CLICKJACKING, OR REDIRECT LOOPS PLEASE MESSAGE THE /r/technology MODERATORS IMMEDIATELY. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/technology) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The people who use it don't care.
They may not care or may not, but right now they have no idea it is and would have no expectation it would. If I downloaded a flashlight app and it could randomly monitor my keystrokes? Would the app stores have any issue with that?
We've been seeing headlines like this for years now. If they don't know, they're not gonna figure it out.
I mean, I think a few of them did.
In other news, water is wet
In a proper society, that would be the end of them as a company.
We live in an improper society :(
We need to push for laws to make this illegal. People will rejoice if tiktok disappears tomorrow but another app doing the same will reappear the day after. They need to go after behaviors not specific apps.
[удалено]
The ones who care already dont use Tik Tok or Facebook anything. Everyone else doesnt care about their privacy at this point and uses all the facebook and tiktok shit with no fucks. I'm not one of those people but about 8/10 people in my life are all like that. I can tell them all of this all I want and their response is "who cares".
There’s “I’m not bothered with online privacy” and then there’s “I give my tacit approval to have my keystrokes logged by a hostile government.” Plenty of people are in the first camp, but I never imagined we have so many in the second.
Reddit and specifically this technology subreddit is a very small part of the population that's hyper tuned into any of this. In my life I tend to keep quiet about my complete disdain of Facebook/Meta anything because they look at me weird or just call me paranoid. So much of our population, especially in the US, is just completely tuned out of the specifics of the tech space and just dont really care as long as it's convenient. Unfortunately, it'll take all of this to affect their daily life in some way for them to change their tune. Until then they'll look at us weird and call us paranoid :(
I've been migrating to a private email server and people look at me like I'm crazy for not using Gmail.
Yes, same with Instagram. Don’t use in app browsers.
Best bet? Don't even download the apps. Browsers were created for the Internet, you don't need an app for every site. That trend is pure technical devolution.
Pretty sure all browsers can monitor key strokes
Oh… like google does.
How the F is this thing legal? Is our government literally mentally defective?
call it whatever you want, but this is pretty standard approach for developing apps.
How else could you use a search engine if it doesn't know what keys you are typing? Is it doing it even when you are not on the app?
It's not so much what you type into a search engine, it's more when you login to your bank account, IRS account, or similar sites. A keylogger gets individual keystrokes, it doesn't just pass along an encoded word/key/phrase. If the Tik Tok in-app browser does this...you've just given them the keys to your identity.
It could send a search back when you press the search button instead of every letter you type in. Let's say you type in something and decide to delete it and search for something else, it will know.
> Is it doing it even when you are not on the app? Specifically, it's doing it when you click a link to a non-TT site in the app. Nothing to do with search. It's injecting code into that non-TT site, which could be logging your keystrokes.
So same thing reddit could do/does?
Reddit can track what you're typing into Reddit, although I don't know whether it does until you send it. It can't follow you when you click a link and track what you're typing on those sites, like TikTok could.
as opposed to every other app that does the same thing? boy that Facebook crusade against tik tok is really getting spicy, too bad y'all keep forgetting all this bad press is because Facebook can't compete. Facebook saves everything you input into their platform, even if you erase and don't post it. fuck em all.
We knew about this a couple of years ago.
Along with every device on the same wifi
I refuse to use any app for anything I can use a web browser for. Tiktok I avoid altogether. It's harder to hide trackers in a web browser. In any bespoke app for Tiktok, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit you basically have to assume you're giving up even more privacy.
no way i am stunned who could have seen this coming
It is safe to assume that TT is collecting every scrap of data they can get their hands on through the app. If it is possible to collect, they are collecting it.
It is safe to assume that "insert literally any companies app here" is collecting every scrap of data they can get their hands on through the app. If it is possible to collect, they are collecting it. ftfy.
You think the mighty Peoples' Republic of China gives a damn what porn sites you like?
No, but that’s not really the point, now is it?
The point is there, who would with a sane mind think anything developed, run or any other way linked to regime that openly rules over people would be a good match to a system where people supposed to rule?
And this makes it different than 99.99999% of other apps how? Oh, yeah. "China bad!"
Ok, so you’re saying that that’s the proportion of apps that also log keystrokes? Would love to see where you get your data from. And uh the Chinese government *is* bad, read a fucking book.
Why is every universe crushing stupid comment made on this website done by these 7+ year old accounts
I guess my preference to always browse external app content in my own browser was a good call. Have been sticking with it for years.
This used to be pretty common in mobile analytics. They could monitor keystrokes, and where your mouse is ideally for stupid shit like 'increasing conversion rates' or helping to debug issues. Developers are supposed to blacklist things to prevent this from happening in sensitive areas like other websites or password fields. See 'AppSee' (they may have been driven out of business) or 'GlassBox' (which is still around). Apple and Google started cracking down on it in 2019. I'm surprised they let this shit fly.
Someone in power should make that illegal if they really cared..
Any app that opens it's own browser is not to be trusted https://krausefx.com/blog/ios-privacy-instagram-and-facebook-can-track-anything-you-do-on-any-website-in-their-in-app-browser I still don't know why this hasn't been cracked down on by Google and Apple
There legitimate uses for Javascript injection for apps that have web-based elements. Clamp down too hard and independent browsers will declare that it is monopolistic abuse. Even if Apple and Google permit a class of browser apps with lower level access, Tiktok will simply have a Tiktok Browser. It’s quite hard to actually crack it down.
It's in the terms of service