Doesn’t matter if you’re using an iPhone or android. They have your number, email, etc. (either given by you or by someone else when they uploaded their contacts to Facebook/instagram/whatsapp) and everything you do is tracked and logged.
That’s the thing about Meta. They gather info from literally billions of people, it doesn’t matter if you personally handed it over or not. Everyone who has your info — name, phone number, email, work number, etc. has probably already shared all or some of it with Meta. The moment you sign up and give them any info at all that matches your info in someone’s contacts, they’ll know it’s you.
If you don’t want them tracking you, your only option is to not use their services and block all their trackers. They’ll have your info anyway, but at least they won’t be able to track your activity.
Edit: a lot of people don’t grasp how bad the situation is with Meta. They trick people into uploading their contacts by requesting access to “help you find your friends” across their services, and they match that info and create a shadow profile for everyone. As soon as you sign up to any of their services, they’ll match that shadow profile to you. That’s why you immediately see people you know even though you just created an account. You’re in their contacts. Facebook has outed countless gay and trans people, as well as sex workers. They will also recommend your therapist’s clients to you as “people you may know” because you all have the therapist’s phone number.
It’s a nightmare. I’ve been trying to make people aware of it for like a decade or something like that. No one listens.
i DoN’t HaVe AnYtHiNg tO HiDe. Every single time.
There are so many platforms anymore that I have neither the time nor desire to keep up with even a quarter of them. So maybe eight years back, a friend suggests I check out Snap Chat.
I jump on there to find about 20 pages of names of people who thought it was okay, acceptable, to share my info from their database. I’ve always been very careful and discreet with mine. But to have it thrown right in my face like that, whew. Here’s my message to those folks:
If you think it’s okay to share my private number, or anything else I’ve provided in confidence, with the planet, please delete my number.
RIGHT? It’s fucking insane that no one seems to be talking about this. I’ve been trying for years and people just roll their eyes or ignore me. What the fuck.
And it’s completely because people don’t think about it and/or don’t understand how this stuff works. The app says “share your contacts to find your friends!” and people just go “cool ok”.
Here’s a not-cool story: Facebook showed my friend a photo of her rapist under “people you may know”. Fucking hell.
They trick people into uploading their contacts
You can’t signup for WhatsApp without giving them access to your contacts
Trick people 🤣
Christ. It’s so tired hearing this same old bullshit.
They can monitor you as much as they want. Your posts are the last of their interest.
Facebook trackers are very well spread on the internet, so your browser activity can definitely change what you will see in Threads.
Additionally, they monitor your view time, so they can feed you with contents that are more likely to attract your attention.
Finally, the information they got from your Instagram helps them create your home feed to fit your interests.
And only God knows what they can see through WhatsApp.
Ye, if you don’t want to be tracked, then don’t use Meta Services.
