Meta and Yandex tracked browsing habits Android smartphones without permission
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, tracked users without informing them or asking their permission. Internet company Yandex also allegedly did this. That is the conclusion of researchers at Radboud University in Nijmegen and KU Leuven in Belgium.
Information Security Netherlands June 4, 2025
The tracking method used the operation of Android apps and Meta and Yandex tracking pixels on websites. "This method bypasses the privacy protections of Android's permission control and even the Incognito Mode of browsers, and affects all major Android browsers," the researchers state. Yandex has reportedly been using these practices since 2017, Meta as of September 2024.
Complaints and questions
According to the researchers, there is no evidence that Meta or Yandex informed users about these tracking capabilities. "Meta never told users or website owners with such a tracking program about this," explains researcher Gunes Acar. "Not only did Meta not inform website owners about this tracking method, but it also ignored complaints and questions."
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