How Apps on Android Share Data with Facebook (even if you don't have a Facebook account)

[sl8]

From https://privacyinternational.org/report/2647/how-apps-android-share-data-facebook-report

How Apps on Android Share Data with Facebook - Report

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Previous research has shown how 42.55 percent of free apps on the Google Play store could share data with Facebook, making Facebook the second most prevalent third-party tracker after Google’s parent company Alphabet. In this report, Privacy International illustrates what this data sharing looks like in practice, particularly for people who do not have a Facebook account.

This question of whether Facebook gathers information about users who are not signed in or do not have an account was raised in the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal by lawmakers in hearings in the United States and in Europe. Discussions, as well as previous fines by Data Protection Authorities about the tracking of non-users, however, often focus on the tracking that happens on websites. Much less is known about the data that the company receives from apps. For these reasons, in this report we raise questions about transparency and use of app data that we consider timely and important.

Facebook routinely tracks users, non-users and logged-out users outside its platform through Facebook Business Tools. App developers share data with Facebook through the Facebook Software Development Kit (SDK), a set of software development tools that help developers build apps for a specific operating system. Using the free and open source software tool called "mitmproxy", an interactive HTTPS proxy, Privacy International has analyzed the data that 34 apps on Android, each with an install base from 10 to 500 million, transmit to Facebook through the Facebook SDK.

All apps were tested between August and December 2018, with the last re-test happening between 3 and 11 of December 2018. The full documentation, including the exact date each app was tested, can be found at https://privacyinternational.org/appdata.

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More at link.

Link to report (PDF):
http://privacyinternational.org/sites/default/files/2018-12/How%20Apps%20on%20Android%20Share%20Data%20with%20Facebook%20-%20Privacy%20International%202018.pdf

[Squinch]

1. And still people use Facebook and put money in the pocket of republican Zuckerberg.

[RKP5637]

2. Millions are gullible, easily led, lack an understanding of technology and many are not

overly bright even when presented facts.

[global1]

3. I Don't Use Facebook - But Have An Android Phone.....

that has a Facebook App on it that I never use. I notice from time to time I get a message on my phone that Facebook updated. That never made sense to me untill reading your post. Is there a way I can remove that Facebook App from my phone without causing any problems to anything else on my phone? Can you provide a link to such instructions here?

[sl8]

4. No instructions that I can vouch for; I haven't had the need to use them.

Last edited Mon Dec 31, 2018, 10:39 PM - Edit history (1)

This might be helpful:

https://android.gadgethacks.com/how-to/3-ways-remove-facebook-if-came-preinstalled-your-android-phone-no-root-needed-0184938/
3 Ways to Remove Facebook if It Came Preinstalled on Your Android Phone — No Root Needed

Note that the report in the OP is about 3rd party apps that share information with Facebook, other than the actual Facebook app.

[reACTIONary]

5. The pre installed apps update automaticly like all other apps.....

Automatic updates come from the "app store", not through the app itself. Whether you use the app or not doesn't have anything to do with it, as far as I can tell. I found instructions to turn off all automatic updates. I didn't find anything for turning off updates only for a specific app.

To turn updates on or off, follow these steps:
Open Google Play.
Tap the hamburger icon (three horizontal lines) on the top-left.
Tap Settings.
Tap Auto-update apps.
To disable automatic app updates, select Do not auto-update apps.