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That’s how any third party interface works. It’s a proxy that ostensibly just formats and displays the data to the user but there is no way to guarantee they do

by ummonk 4y ago

That’s how any third party interface works. It’s a proxy that ostensibly just formats and displays the data to the user but there is no way to guarantee they don’t upload it to their own servers or something, as Cambridge Analytica did (which got Facebook in trouble)

Dylan16807 4y ago
You have a strange definition of proxy. That would make the official app a proxy too, wouldn't it?
amatecha 4y ago
There is in fact a way to verify whether the application sends the data elsewhere.. The most basic of network monitoring tools will immediately indicate what external hosts are being communicated with. If all the network activity is strictly with Instagram's servers, it's plainly clear that the app dev is not siphoning off user data. So, this is why I ask. It's actually really easy to find out what network hosts a piece of software is interacting with. If the dev really is stealing user data, it should be trivial to prove. This is the evidence I am asking for, otherwise that person's claims are completely baseless speculation.
- ummonk 4y ago
  Meta doesn’t have the ability to monitor its users’ computers to see if any of them end up having data sent to a server.
  - amatecha 4y ago
    Again, I'm asking _the person in the thread above_ who made these claims that the app is stealing user data to provide any supporting evidence, perhaps via the methods I described in my last comment. I'm not talking about Meta.
    - ummonk 4y ago
      THat's not the what you were asking. You asked 'What evidence do you have that this application was acting as a "proxy" where the developers can "intercept and see all data"?' The app is by definition acting as a proxy, and therefore the developers can intercept and see the data, though they might not be doing so currently.
      - amatecha 4y ago
        Is the Facebook Messenger app a proxy? Is the Instagram client a proxy? Is the mail app on my phone a proxy? I'm trying to grasp what definition of "proxy" you're using here, because every usage of the word "proxy" I've ever see relating to internet services is: "a program which redirects network traffic to another destination". The subject is explored in detail at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server . Yet again, I'm seeking to see any shred of evidence that even _suggests_ that the application has acted as a "proxy" or sent more user data to the app developer than absolutely necessary to function.
      - nobody9999 4y ago
        >The app is by definition acting as a proxy, and therefore the developers can intercept and see the data, though they might not be doing so currently. You're making an assumption here that hasn't been confirmed. That assumption being that any app accessing user data from Meta is proxying (i.e., streaming the requested data to the app publisher's servers and then passing that data along to the end user) that data through their servers. Is that the case with the app in question? Is it the case with every such app? Or are there apps that directly connect to Meta's servers from the user's hardware without streaming the requested data through the app publisher's servers? The app in TFA may be proxying (see above) data through their servers (that's the definition of a proxy in this context), but I don't know if they are doing so. If they are, there certainly are serious privacy/security issues with that process. But again, no one has provided evidence that's what the app in question is doing. If they are, you should run screaming in the other direction. However, if the app is simply performing the same API calls as Meta's app and returning the data directly to the end user, the risk profile is pretty similar for both apps (dependent on code quality, the ethical stance of the publishers, etc.).

by ummonk 4y ago

Dylan16807 4y ago

You have a strange definition of proxy. That would make the official app a proxy too, wouldn't it?

amatecha 4y ago

There is in fact a way to verify whether the application sends the data elsewhere.. The most basic of network monitoring tools will immediately indicate what external hosts are being communicated with. If all the network activity is strictly with Instagram's servers, it's plainly clear that the app dev is not siphoning off user data. So, this is why I ask. It's actually really easy to find out what network hosts a piece of software is interacting with. If the dev really is stealing user data, it should be trivial to prove. This is the evidence I am asking for, otherwise that person's claims are completely baseless speculation.

ummonk 4y ago
Meta doesn’t have the ability to monitor its users’ computers to see if any of them end up having data sent to a server.
- amatecha 4y ago
  Again, I'm asking _the person in the thread above_ who made these claims that the app is stealing user data to provide any supporting evidence, perhaps via the methods I described in my last comment. I'm not talking about Meta.
  - ummonk 4y ago
    THat's not the what you were asking. You asked 'What evidence do you have that this application was acting as a "proxy" where the developers can "intercept and see all data"?' The app is by definition acting as a proxy, and therefore the developers can intercept and see the data, though they might not be doing so currently.
    - amatecha 4y ago
      Is the Facebook Messenger app a proxy? Is the Instagram client a proxy? Is the mail app on my phone a proxy? I'm trying to grasp what definition of "proxy" you're using here, because every usage of the word "proxy" I've ever see relating to internet services is: "a program which redirects network traffic to another destination". The subject is explored in detail at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server . Yet again, I'm seeking to see any shred of evidence that even _suggests_ that the application has acted as a "proxy" or sent more user data to the app developer than absolutely necessary to function.
    - nobody9999 4y ago
      >The app is by definition acting as a proxy, and therefore the developers can intercept and see the data, though they might not be doing so currently. You're making an assumption here that hasn't been confirmed. That assumption being that any app accessing user data from Meta is proxying (i.e., streaming the requested data to the app publisher's servers and then passing that data along to the end user) that data through their servers. Is that the case with the app in question? Is it the case with every such app? Or are there apps that directly connect to Meta's servers from the user's hardware without streaming the requested data through the app publisher's servers? The app in TFA may be proxying (see above) data through their servers (that's the definition of a proxy in this context), but I don't know if they are doing so. If they are, there certainly are serious privacy/security issues with that process. But again, no one has provided evidence that's what the app in question is doing. If they are, you should run screaming in the other direction. However, if the app is simply performing the same API calls as Meta's app and returning the data directly to the end user, the risk profile is pretty similar for both apps (dependent on code quality, the ethical stance of the publishers, etc.).