So this was interesting. Maybe not new to some but I couldn’t find direct answers or at least an answer I can understand.
I was wondering if I have an app, say like the invasive apps on a second user profile would expose a bit more data than just visiting the site itself for said app. In this example Facebook.
When I got my pixel, I started a second user profile just playing around and installed google play, play services, banking apps and Facebook.
I went to Facebook and checked my logins and it noted I was logged in on a pixel. They knew my device.
Later I went through the browser with and without the VPN on another user profile. Logged in and checked what devices that has logged in.
I was caught by surprise!
Facebook didn’t list my device as a pixel, just listed it as “Android”.
This is not exposing data. This is just fingerprinting.
Was any of your personal info leaked or made public? That’s what exposing your data means.
A service knowing what device you’re accessing it from is simply fingerprinting your mode of access.
And that’s why I feel your title is misleading at least the way you wrote it. But if there are others who know more about this or are experts, they may correct me too.
The point of pushing users to apps when a website will do is that they collect far more in-depth data than websites alone. Your device is only the tip of the iceberg - apps can relay a list of apps you have installed, your MAC address, location data, IMEI, and loads of other info.
Even on desktop, apps can collect in-depth info that browser fingerprinting won’t get.
Apps don’t have access to your IMEI or MAC address on Android or iOS. Location data is behind a user-facing locationpermission which also gives you the option for precise or more general location. They can see the list of apps you have installed though.
On desktop apps are typically not sandboxed so they have access to a loooot of personal data including your files etc outside of specific folders that may or may not be protected behind a permission.
Is this true on iOS or Android only? I’ve never understood this. Why do these companies want app makers to know which other apps are installed on a users device.
I’m pretty ignorant with a lot of terms and knowledge.
Is there an “Official” definition of what data is?
The way I see it, if there is more information going through one source (App) as opposed to a more secure source (Browser) that hides more information. That is data, or information being put out there.
There might be some people with a threat model that they don’t want what device they use exposed. I purposely wrote the title that way for other people looking for the exact question I had. There are things I couldn’t and can’t find a concrete answer to do to me being new and ignorant. So much stuff seems vague and not direct.
Quite frankly, I don’t want certain websites knowing anymore than they have to. And I’m quite certain I’m not the only one.
In case I am wrong, I will take correction.
And I put a question mark after the title so if I am seeing this wrong, it’s posed as a question and not a statement of fact.