These security researchers advise disabling the Facebook app on your iPhone. After an investigation, experts realized that Facebook group services are able to use accelerometer data to track users.

According to computer security researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk, Facebook's iOS app shamelessly spies on iPhone users. According to experts, interviewed by Forbes, the social network uses data from the accelerometer of smartphones without notifying Internet users.

This sensor is capable of recording accelerations, but also shocks and movements. Integrated into the iPhone, it detects the orientation of the smartphone and its movements. It is thanks to the accelerometer that the screen rotates when you hold the iPhone horizontally or that the iPhone is able to calculate the number of steps taken in a day. It also plays a major role in image stabilization when recording a photograph.

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Facebook admits to using iPhone accelerometer data

Apparently, Facebook falls back on the accelerometer when the user refuses to share their location. “Facebook reads accelerometer data all the time. If you don't allow Facebook access to your location, the app can still infer your exact location by grouping you with users who match the same vibration pattern as recorded by your phone accelerometer,” the two researchers explain.

Thanks to this sensor, Facebook is not only able to discover your geographical position. “Apps can determine heart rate or movement,” the researchers note. Researchers recommend uninstalling Facebook from your iPhone. If you don't want to deprive yourself of the social network, consult your news feed through a web browser, such as Safari or Chrome. This workaround prevents Facebook from collecting data through the accelerometer.

Unsurprisingly, all Facebook-related applications allow themselves to exploit accelerometer data, namely Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. On the other hand, this is not the case for competing applications, including TikTok, WeChat, iMessage, Telegram and Signal. Contacted by Forbes, Facebook admits to using accelerometer data. “We use accelerometer data to ensure that certain types of camera-related features such as panning for a 360-degree photo or for the camera work,” explains the American giant, without mentioning the tracking.

Source: Forbes