Facebook App’s ‘Protect’ Feature Could Be Tracking Your Activity

It seems that the more connected we are, the more we are being tracked. This is because our online activity is valuable data for companies who are looking to better understand the habits of consumers so as to create better advertising campaigns, or to spot trends before they even happen.

Unfortunately in some cases, this tracking feature isn’t always disclosed so publicly, and in some cases is masquerading as something else. In a report from TechCrunch, it seems that Facebook’s mobile app has a new “Protect” feature which prompts users to install Onavo Protect, a VPN client.

However it seems that while it might be billed as a VPN client, the app actually ends up allowing Facebook to track its users. This is because Facebook had acquired Onavo back in 2013, meaning that any data Onavo has basically belongs to Facebook. Sure, at its core Onavo is still a VPN app that helps to warn users against malicious websites and also keep information secure while you browse the web, but like we said, that’s just on the surface.

Now the good news is that users don’t have to install Onavo on their phones if they don’t want to. Clicking the “Protect” section in the Facebook app will launch the App Store where you can choose to download and install it.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones, General
Tags: Apps, Facebook, iOS, Privacy