Instagram users are constantly being tracked Do you know how secure your personal data is?

Social media profiles are hacked or tracked – we often hear the news. But if the platform that has the profile starts tracking the user data itself, then the discomfort increases quite a bit, no doubt! In that case, you will be surprised to know, the popular photo-video sharing platform Instagram (Instagram) has been working practically like this day after day.

According to recent reports, every tap (read every movement) of users on the Meta-owned social media platform is being tracked, from passwords, addresses, credit card details. Even private messages and mobile screen status of Instagram users are not hidden. And the biggest thing is that this data is being tracked through Instagram's own website. But why is the company keeping users' Internet lives at their fingertips? And how is this data tracking going on unknowingly?

Instagram has all the users' movements at their fingertips

A new report from MacRumors claims that Instagram can track every activity of its users; This includes all form inputs like passwords, addresses, every tap, selected text and screenshots (as mentioned earlier). Instagram reportedly injects JavaScript code into all websites that contain or display ads, allowing the company to monitor all user interactions.

However, they have clarified that Instagram has no plans to interfere with the privacy of users. According to Meta, the script Instagram injects helps the company aggregate events and learn users' personal information, App Tracking Transparency (ATT) opt-out preferences. In other words, Instagram reviews the movements of users with the aim of providing a better experience – that's the reasoning behind their own activity.

How does Instagram track data?

As mentioned earlier, Instagram injects a tracking JavaScript code into all links and websites on the platform, through which users' data is tracked without their consent. In this case, when users tap or swipe a link on a website or a link to buy something from an ad displayed on Instagram, it shows the content in a new window in the app instead of opening the phone's default browser; Well, this is where their data comes into the hands of the organization.