Privacy

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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

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How is instagram spying on me? (slrpnk.net)

submitted 1 month ago by countrypunk@slrpnk.net to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

82 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I want to preface this by saying that yes, I know that Instagram is bad. I am planning to get rid of it in the future but as of now I have to keep it for communication with people who are only on that platform.

So I have grapheneOS, use protonvpn (free version), use mull as my browser, and do not have google play services enabled on my phone. I do have some apps downloaded through aurora store such as Instagram, whatsapp, mychart, and mint mobile, but the rest came from f-droid.

I have noticed multiple times that after having private conversations on matrix, I get Instagram content in my feed that is scarily accurate to the conversation I had on the other platform immediately after. I know that things discussed in Instagram direct messages and group chat will give suggested content based on those conversations, but I get stuff that that is very specific to what I have ONLY discussed on matrix and didn't look up via my browser.

So my question is how is Instagram doing this and what can I do to mitigate the spying it's doing on my other apps. Thanks.

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[–] noodlejetski@lemm.ee 15 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The only explanation I have is that it's somehow still listening.

or the other person participating in the conversation had looked them up.

[–] Guntrigger@sopuli.xyz 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I had considered that, but that would mean they are collating and amalgamating data coming from a single IP, which is almost as bad as listening to my microphone. Both are data gathering without my permission.

[–] noodlejetski@lemm.ee 15 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

they are collating and amalgamating data coming from a single IP

lol no shit. of course they're aggregating location data, this is how, among other examples, some therapists ended up having their patients recommended as Facebook friends in the past.

if they see someone being frequently in the same location you are and at the same time you are, they will leverage your relationship to serve you ads based on their (and, presumed by the algorithm, shared to some extent) interests.

[–] Guntrigger@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Well how do you combat that if you are in a household or shared network with others who aren't privacy conscious?

[–] noodlejetski@lemm.ee 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

without them changing their habits? you don't.

[–] umami_wasbi@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago

Or connect to a VPN all the time so you appears "not in the same netowork." Still, being an app menas it can just collect the WiFi name and cell tower ID to map our your social connections.