How does instagram know what i google
How To Stop Instagram From Tracking Everything You Do
This Instagram page shows whether you’ve uploaded any contacts and allows you to delete them. Deleting them will not stop new contacts being added to your phone from being uploaded. The setting can be turned on or off through the settings menu on iOS or Android.
The option to download your data includes photos, comments, profile information, and more. This has to be requested through the Security menu.
Location
You probably use Instagram on your phone. By default, Instagram’s location gathering abilities are turned off, but you’ve probably turned the feature on inadvertently while adding your location to a post or story.
To change this—or at the very least check whether you’ve given it permission—visit the settings on your phone. It can’t be done through the Instagram app.
On Android, navigate to Settings, then tap on Apps and find Instagram. Here you can see whether you’ve given it permission to access your location, microphone, device storage, contacts, and more. You can turn these settings on and off, allowing Instagram access to your location all the time, only while you’re using the app, or never.
If you own an iPhone, the process is similar. Tap your way to the phone’s settings, go to Privacy and then Location Services and find Instagram. Here you can choose whether location tracking is on all the time, when you’re using the app, or off completely.
Control Ads in Stories
As Facebook has tried (successfully) to make more money from Instagram, it has filled it with ads. What you see is all powered, technically, by the parent company. Facebook is the ad server for Instagram, and the two are inseparable.
Instagram shows you ads based on what it and Facebook think you like. This is based on what you do while on Instagram (e.g. liking posts from particular brands) but also what you do on websites and services not owned by Facebook. Facebook's Pixel is a tiny piece of code that’s on almost every website you visit and collects information saying you have visited it.
The Pixel gathers data about your activity online and links it to an identifier and that helps decide what ads you’ll be shown.
It’s just one way data is collected that feeds into the company’s bigger advertising machine. “Advertisers, app developers, and publishers can send us information through Facebook Business Tools that they use, including our social plug-ins (such as the Like button), Facebook Login, our APIs and SDKs, or the Facebook pixel,” Facebook’s data policy says. This includes what you buy and the websites you visit.
So what can you do about it on Instagram? The controls are limited. Within the app, though the Settings tab, you can see your ad activity. This shows you the ads you have engaged with—commenting on posts, liking an ad, and watching the majority of an ad, for example. There are also links out of the Instagram app that explain ads on the platform within the Settings tab.
Analysis Suggests Instagram Tracks User Web Activity Through In-App Browser
by Sami Fathi
A new analysis of the Instagram app has suggested that every time a user clicks a link within the app, Instagram is capable of monitoring all of their interactions, text selections, and even text input, such as passwords and private credit card details within websites inside the app.
The analysis conducted by Felix Krause found that both Instagram and Facebook on iOS use their own in-app browser, rather than the one offered by Apple for third-party apps. Most apps use Apple's Safari for loading websites, but Instagram and Facebook have been using their own in-app browser to load websites within the app.
With their custom-built browser, still based on WebKit, Instagram and Facebook inject a tracking JavaScript code named "Meta Pixel" into all links and websites shown. With that code, Meta has total freedom to track users' interactions without their explicit consent, Krause finds.
This allows Instagram to monitor everything happening on external websites without the consent from the user, nor the website provider.
The Instagram app injects their tracking code into every website shown, including when clicking on ads, enabling them 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.
As Krause points out, it takes reasonable effort for companies like Meta to develop and maintain their own in-app browser rather than to use Apple's built-in Safari. On its developer portal, Meta claims "Meta Pixel" is designed to "track visitor activity on your website" by monitoring all events a user does within their custom-built browser. There is no evidence that Meta, which owns Instagram, has actively gathered the user data it's capable of collecting. As Krause writes:
Does Facebook actually steal my passwords, address and credit card numbers? No! I didn't prove the exact data Instagram is tracking, but wanted to showcase the kind of data they could get without you knowing. As shown in the past, if it's possible for a company to get access to data for free, without asking the user for permission, they will track it.
However, this practice is in violation of Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy. ATT requires that all apps ask for user consent before tracking them across apps and websites owned by other companies.
Meta has repeatedly pushed back against Apple's goal of giving users a choice on whether or not they wish to be tracked. In December 2020, Meta took out a full-page newspaper ad attacking Apple for the change. Krause says he shared his findings with Meta, which responded by saying they've confirmed the "issue" but have not responded since. Krause says he gave Meta a two-week notice before deciding to go public with his findings.
Tag: Instagram
These 12 U.S. States Will Let You Add Your Driver's License to Your iPhone
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Apple continues to roll out a feature that allows residents of participating U.S. states to add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age.
The feature has only launched in Arizona, Colorado, and Maryland so far, but Apple shared a list of additional U.S. states committed.
..
Apple Reveals New AirTag Features Added in Latest Firmware Updates
Tuesday December 20, 2022 4:51 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple has released two firmware updates for its AirTag item trackers since November, but at the time the company didn't provide any information on what was changed. Earlier this week, Apple finally updated a support document explaining what's new. According to Apple, firmware update 2.0.24 allows AirTag owners to use Precision Finding to help locate an unknown AirTag with their iPhone....
iOS 16.2 Adds These 12 New Features to Your iPhone
Thursday December 15, 2022 4:39 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 16.2 is now available for the iPhone 8 and newer following two months of beta testing. With last-minute additions like Apple Music Sing and Advanced Data Protection, the software update includes over a dozen new features and changes for the iPhone.
Below, we've recapped many of the new features available with iOS 16.2, including Apple's new whiteboard app Freeform, two new Lock Screen.
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Apple Discontinued These 4 Devices in 2022
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2022 was a big year for Apple, with many all-new products introduced, including the Mac Studio, Studio Display, Apple Watch Ultra, and more. On the other hand, Apple also discontinued some of its longtime devices, such as the iPod touch. As the year comes to an end, we've recapped four products discontinued by Apple in 2022. 27-inch iMac Following the introduction of the Mac Studio and...
Apple Pushing to Launch Search Engine to Rival Google
Monday December 19, 2022 3:03 am PST by Hartley Charlton
Apple is working on an online search engine to rival Google amid wider improvements to Spotlight search, according to a recent report from The Information.
The report explains that Apple's work on search technology is facing setbacks amid a loss of talent to Google. In 2018, Apple sought to bolster development of its own web search engine by buying machine learning startup Laserlike, which.
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Gurman: New MacBook Pro Models to Launch in Early 2023, iMac With M3 Chip Possible Later in Year
Sunday December 18, 2022 7:12 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to release new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chip options "early next year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The laptops were originally expected to launch this year, but reportedly faced delays internally. No major changes are expected for the next 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models beyond the upgraded chip options and possibly faster...
Gurman: All-New Mac Pro Still in Testing, But 'M2 Extreme' Chip Likely Canceled
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Apple continues to test an all-new Mac Pro with an M2 Ultra chip, but the company has likely abandoned plans to release a higher-end configuration with a so-called "M2 Extreme" chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
In the latest edition of his newsletter today, Gurman said the Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra chip will be available...
The 'Trashcan' Mac Pro: Remembering One of Apple's Most Controversial Designs Nine Years Later
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Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro nine years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylinder that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan." All of the Mac Pro's components were...
How to disable tracking on Instagram
Technology
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In the settings depth of Instagram, a list of the user's interests is stored, according to which the corresponding advertisement is shown to him.
How to find this list and prohibit photo hosting from collecting data about your hobbies - in the material of Gazeta.Ru.
Instagram stores a list of user interests inside the mobile application, but it is not so easy to find, according to portal Business Insider . As noted in the social network, this list of the user's likely hobbies is compiled on the basis of statistics and takes into account the accounts to which he is subscribed, whom he likes or comments on, and what links he clicks on.
The list of what you supposedly like according to Instagram is stored in the public domain, but it is unlikely that you will be able to get to it by accident.
To do this, go to your own profile and click on the icon in the upper right corner (three horizontal bars). In the drop-down menu, you need to click on the “Settings” tab, indicated by a gear. nine0005
Next, you need the Security button, and then the Data Access button. It is necessary to scroll the entire page to the very end until the "Advertising" section appears.
You need to click on the "show all" link in the "interests that are taken into account when showing ads" tab.
If everything was done correctly, then Instagram will show a list of topics that may be of interest to the account owner.
The Gazeta.Ru correspondent singled out seven out of the top ten interests from the list on the screen, which really coincided with reality. The rest partially coincided, but there were no hobbies that would be completely past the box office. nine0005
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Thus, Instagram quite accurately predicts the interests of the user, collecting huge amounts of data about him and passing them on to advertisers for targeting. As long as this information is stored on the servers of Facebook, which owns Instagram, there is no danger to the user. However, Mark Zuckerberg's company is notorious for its leaks in the past, so for your own safety, it is advisable to limit its access to the information stored in the profile as much as possible.
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You can do this as follows - you need to go to Facebook "Settings" [personalized Facebook advertising settings will automatically apply to Instagram]. In the “Advertising” tab there is “Advertising settings”, in which you need to set the “forbidden” parameter opposite each item.
As for the line "Advertisers and companies", it has a sub-item "Advertisers who downloaded a file with information about you and showed you ads."
If you have not previously restricted your Facebook ad settings, you will see a list of companies whose ads appear in your news feed. Each of these organizations can be disabled manually. nine0005
It is known that the Google search engine also collects data about each individual user and stores his likely interests in the form of a list. As Gazeta.Ru reported last November, Google's algorithms predict a user's age, gender, marital status, education, and personal interests, and each of these conclusions is either correct or has a small error.
To find out what Google thinks of you, you need to open the Chrome browser and click on your profile picture in the upper right corner of the screen. In the window that opens, click on the "Google Account Management" button. nine0005
On the new page, you need to find the "Privacy and Personalization" tab and click on the "Data Management and Personalization" link. This menu contains the "Ads Personalization" tab and the "Set up Ads" link.
Clicking on it opens the parameters for personalizing ads, in which you can see the expected list of interests, as well as conclusions about the user's life.
On the same page, you can turn off the ad personalization feature by dragging the corresponding slider to the side. When disabled, Google will warn you that browser ads will not disappear, but will be "less useful to you." nine0005
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Instagram is eavesdropping on me! Is it possible?
"Instagram is eavesdropping on your offline conversations and is using it for ad targeting," developer and entrepreneur Damian le Noyle wrote on his blog.
First, he saw on his Instagram feed an advertisement for a product that he had never searched on the Internet, discussed on social networks, did not like or share information about it. But I discussed it with friends in a "live" conversation in a cafe. nine0005
To test whether communication content could actually be used for advertising, he conducted an experiment. I went for a walk in the mountains with my family and iPhone in my pocket. During the six-hour walk, he discussed only one product with his sister: a micro-projector that can be connected via Bluetooth to a phone and projected with the help of the phone's videos on the walls.
The next day, on his Instagram feed, he saw an advertisement for exactly the projector he wanted.
Interestingly, the phone was in low battery mode during the walk, the connection in the mountains was poor. But Instagram had access to the microphone in the privacy settings. nine0005
Le Noy suggests that Instagram records the audio of conversations, but does not transmit it over the network, but decrypts it into text right on the device and highlights the keywords, and then sends them for use in advertising technologies.
Perhaps it is the presence of libraries for language recognition and speech processing inside the application that makes it so large, it "weighs" 77 megabytes.
However, it may be that speech is recorded in audio, and it is transmitted to the server only later, when the quality of the connection begins to allow it. nine0005
In any case, from a privacy point of view, le Noyle considers unannounced real-time analysis of private conversations unacceptable. And he advises not to give Instagram constant access to the microphone, but to turn it on if necessary.
Interestingly, Le Noy is not the only Instagram user who suspected the app of "eavesdropping". In turn, Instagram is not the only application suspected of such activity.
A year ago, writer Deirdre Riggs reported a similar observation: an Instagram ad on the topic of talking "in the presence" of a smartphone. In the comments to the post, four people wrote that they had encountered the same ad. One of the four saw an advertisement related not to his own words, but to the story of the interlocutor (the man was pretty surprised by the announcement regarding the entanglement of embryos with the umbilical cord, since there were no pregnant women or babies in his personal life at that time).
Another commenter came across ads for keywords they used in text messages. nine0005
The Facebook mobile app is also requesting access to the microphone, and reports of mystical matching of ads with conversation topics also appear here and there on the Internet.
University of South Florida professor of mass communications Kelly Burns, in a commentary to the Independent newspaper, not only suggested that Facebook was listening to conversations, but also clarified that she had conducted experiments to refute or confirm this hypothesis, and so far the hypothesis is confirmed.
But a Facebook spokesman has officially stated that "Microphone audio is not used in any way for the content of advertisements or newsfeeds" . At the same time, the Facebook help information says that the application listens through the microphone, "what is happening around the user" , in order to recognize the music that he plays, the films and shows that he watches, and offer content relevant to tastes.
But these sounds are not recorded.
A BBC columnist asked developers she knew to check if what le Noyle suggests about Instagram could be technically implemented. The developers created a prototype of the application, installed it on the phone, put it next to them and started talking, watching how the text of their conversation "typed" by the application appears on the screen. nine0005
Turning on the output of keyword-targeted advertising was also easy. According to the developers, there are already enough opportunities within the Android operating system to implement such functions, they mainly used the code already in the system.
There are several arguments voiced by opponents of the "eavesdropping" hypothesis:
- Facebook and other products of this company (WhatsApp, Instagram) already have enough data for ad targeting: behavior and connections of people in social networks, visits to sites, movement in the area and so on
- Matching ads to the topic of conversations can be explained in other ways: perhaps your interlocutors searched Google for information about what you discussed, or somehow interacted with it on Facebook, and ads were shown to you based on your connection and common interests
- Unlikely and strange accidents happen much more often than people think.
The peculiarities of evolution and the structure of our brain make us look for explanations for everything and connect everything in a row by cause-and-effect relationships - voice analysis, especially in real time, is too resource-intensive, possibly technically complex, unjustified in terms of investment-to-profit ratio (the developers from the BBC experiment worked only with Android, perhaps it is really more difficult to implement in iOS)
- there is no guarantee and it is not very hard to believe that people remember exactly whether they were looking for something on the topic under discussion or not, wrote and liked on Facebook or not.
Supporters of the hypothesis also have their own arguments:
- Technically it is possible, not as difficult and resource-intensive for both the company and the user (device), as it seems. Facebook already has technologies and algorithms for working with sound taken from the device's microphone. The company has, for example, a patent dedicated to automatic speech translation from one language to another with preliminary recognition, which can work both online and offline.
- Large companies, especially IT giants, are obsessed with collecting and analyzing data. They are ready to mine and study any information in search of new patterns that will put them ahead in technological innovation and competition
- It is becoming more and more difficult for advertising to compete for user attention, and marketers are setting themselves new tasks on the Internet - not only views and clicks, but sales, subscriptions, leads, and so on. Advertisers want new opportunities and strategies, and Facebook's business is based entirely on online advertising. Facebook and other companies with a similar business model may be ready to go very far in the fight for ad performance
- Companies are constantly testing a wide variety of strategies and technologies, so if the extraction of information from conversations is not put on stream, it can be tested on a limited sample of users. nine0309
Who is right in this dispute is still unclear. And it's up to you to decide how personally you are concerned about the possibility of automatic analysis of offline conversations.
