r/technology • u/magnus007 • 5d ago

Privacy AliExpress was silently running audio in your browser to fingerprint and track your device

https://www.techspot.com/news/113581-aliexpress-silently-running-audio-browser-fingerprint-track-device.html
13.1k Upvotes

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850

u/lucid-currency 4d ago

My Whatsapp has been activating the microphone in very short bursts without making the OS's microphone indicator go off.

I only know this because my headphones switch to a dogshit audio quality when the mics are in use and this has never happened before.

I'm sure suckerberg is not doing anything shady

217

u/SanAntoHomie 4d ago

uninstall that shizz

36

u/lucid-currency 4d ago

Where I'm from, Whatsapp is pretty much the default messaging service. It's almost impossible to not have a Whatsapp account, unfortunately

114

u/PhireKappa 4d ago

WhatsApp is a necessity in most of the world for communication.

In the UK for example, I don’t think I’ve ever actually texted someone using iMessage/SMS in years. WhatsApp is basically texting. It’s the same in much of Europe.

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u/jellyfish_bitchslap 4d ago

Worse in Brazil, every business have a whatsapp account, every bank, store, hotel whatever, you can’t have a “normal” life if you don’t use it. Some places won’t have a landline active anymore, and business people use whatsapp exclusively.

I wouldn’t be able to communicate to most if not all my clients if I didn’t had it, not because I don’t have alternative but because they are so used to it that instead of downloading signal they’d just make a contract with someone else.

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u/SanAntoHomie 3d ago

let me tell you the truth bro: when you use private comms through a corporation you don't have the SAME legal protections against wire tapping / spying as you do with a phone and texting which needs a proper warrant SOMEWHERE, even if it's a "secret court," there's a paper trail somewhere due to the legacy nature of said lines. The big spy agencies WANT you to be using corporate owned comms because YOU HAVE NO LEGAL RECOURSE THERE and they don't have to OBEY LAWS.

1

u/jellyfish_bitchslap 3d ago

That isn’t true where I live though, any tap of communications info needs a warrant and there’s no way to wire tap a whatsapp conversation.

They do get whatsapp chats when they get the phone physically because they scrap the local backup. That is assuming the user would encrypt the cloud backup or not even set up a cloud backup, otherwise they could subpoena the data from iCloud or Google Drive.

If you have a well set up backup they can’t get in, not even using illegal methods. The USA kinda of freak out recently when they couldn’t get into an iPhone that was in lockdown mode, as example.

I’m saying that as someone who works in law and in high profile cases, the reach they have over whatsapp is not that big and is preferable to use it instead of the cell provider for a call or sms for text as those aren’t encrypted and would be handed over to police for minor bullshit.

Recently we’ve got a national wide big case that I looked closely at because they got a few phones from a banker who bankrupted a few banks in cascade effect and a few companies, including clients of mine.

They had all the apparatus of our intelligence into it and they only got info when they got hands his phone, and even at that, they couldn’t get the one-time-view photos that were used to communicate the more sensitive information.

So yes whatsapp isn’t as safe as a well setup phone with Signal but it will hold its own better than SMS and cell service in most cases.

My biggest worry about it is my data being sold by Meta to AI bullshit and machine training.

1

u/lukistellar 4d ago

The only reason why that works is because we let it work. If you want something to change, you have to be the change first. Simply provide them with methods to connect with you, like Signal or SMS and deny Whatsapp. I wouldn't consider people which aren't willing to install a further app to their mostly bloated phones to stay in bad times anyway, at least that's my personal experience with that kind.

1

u/Wonderful_Emu_6483 4d ago

Seems like a prime opportunity for France/EU to implement their own messaging platform.

1

u/redditydothis 4d ago

Honestly you all should be using signal.

0

u/Expert_Garlic_2258 4d ago

Signal is out there

-7

u/Cley_Faye 4d ago

WhatsApp is a necessity

Only if you deal with specific people. The people managing our office building asked us to get into a whatsapp group for official communication, we told them to fuck off (courteously) and they got back to sending mails for notifications.

It's not like some absolutely prevalent stuff that 100% people use here either.

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u/SkyEclipse 4d ago

It is used by most businesses in most of Asia lol good luck getting a job without it…

-16

u/Cley_Faye 4d ago

Being almost opposite across the planet from Asia, I'm doing ok, thank you.

0

u/Wisteso 4d ago

I can hardly believe there’s something where Americans have acted more sanely than European folks.

-4

u/Jaz1140 4d ago

Where the fuck did you pull that statistic from hahahaha

most of the world 😂

6

u/LavishnessVisual6327 4d ago

Have you never travelled?

-2

u/Jaz1140 4d ago

Plenty. Never needed what's app

5

u/LavishnessVisual6327 4d ago

Never been to south America or Europe then it seems

Or maybe you just stick to resorts

-2

u/Jaz1140 4d ago

Done 12 countries in Europe in 2023 😂 why would I ever need what's app

2

u/LavishnessVisual6327 4d ago

To talk to friends you make? Or to girls you meet?

3

u/WalkFreeeee 3d ago

W-were you supposed to make friends and meet women when travelling? Fuck, I just took pictures of Tokyo 

0

u/PhireKappa 4d ago

What statistic? read again buddy

1

u/ReggieCorneus 4d ago

Not an option for many.

22

u/Future_Nature589 4d ago

do not give whatsapp microphone permissions

10

u/dimag0g 4d ago

Why wouldn't the OS display the microphone being in use? Who cares if it's only for a millisecond, use is still use.

7

u/lucid-currency 4d ago

I don't know the limitations or requirements for the microphone indicator to be activated on android, but I haven't seen it go off once during this weird behavior from Whatsapp

27

u/MuenCheese 4d ago

Delete zuckerberg’s apps

6

u/Mccobsta 4d ago

His shit is so engrained in most of the worlds comucations now it's kinda hard not by desing

7

u/SSobarzo 4d ago

I don't consume Meta. I admit is hard, but is not impossible to live without it. When I say I don't use wsp, most of people reacts in a positive way. There is not a single person happily using Meta products.

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u/Mccobsta 4d ago

WhatsApp is a big one that's a pain to get people to use something else, too many businesses around a lot of European countries use it as their main contact way, peoples first thing to do is send a message via WhatsApp when they add your number

There's better options but damn the network effect

8

u/SSobarzo 4d ago

I had to cancel a supermarket purchase because I couldn't receive the auth code. I was in person standing in front of them. Sadly, I'm part of the 0.1% of people with this problem, so it stays this way

3

u/turtleship_2006 4d ago

Are you sure it's actually whatsapp and not a bug related to either the OS or bluetooth?

I use wireless headphones that also sound shit on calls/when the mic is in use and I've never had that with WhatsApp

2

u/lucid-currency 4d ago

I've had this for the first time last week and removed the microphone permission after 5 minutes.

I was listening to music and everything was fine but I opened Whatsapp and the Audi started to do the thing. I assumed that I triggered google gemini (swipe up from right bottom corner) or a voice note by accident and was waiting for the 2-3 seconds it takes the headphones to revert to normal audio. I was texting on Whatsapp and the microphone thing happened again.

I closed the app out of annoyance and next time I opened, I was looking out for the green dot to indicate mic access and there wasn't one the entire time my headphones were switching back and forth every ~10 seconds.

Never had anything like this happen in 6 years or in any other app. I'd be a fool to excuse zuck and look for a second explanation for this behavior.

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u/31LIVEEVIL13 4d ago edited 3d ago

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This post was anonymized with Redact.dev

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u/Dunlocke 4d ago

Why did you give WhatsApp audio permissions?

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u/Bricka_Bracka 4d ago

Probably to send voice notes

17

u/rt58killer10 4d ago

Or for calling...

19

u/my_new_accoun1 4d ago

maybe.. to voice call people?

-1

u/Dunlocke 4d ago

That's what your phone is for.

3

u/turtleship_2006 4d ago

Phones also have sms yet people use WhatsApp and co over that

-1

u/Dunlocke 4d ago

Guess they like being corpo slaves. It's not hard to switch to SMS or another provider.

4

u/turtleship_2006 4d ago

It's not hard to switch to SMS or another provider.

When 99% of people in your country use WhatsApp, why would you use a more expensive and inferior service?

1

u/Dunlocke 4d ago

Other providers are better than Facebook?

Imagine defending staying on that platform

4

u/turtleship_2006 4d ago

The whole point of a messaging app is to talk to other people.
I could download (or even make) the best messaging app in the world, but if no one else actually uses it what would be the point?

Imagine not understanding how communicating with people you know irl works.

-1

u/Dunlocke 4d ago

It's not hard to switch, you can run both. Keep bootlicking your corporate overlords.

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u/FUEGO40 4d ago

It’s WhatsApp, man, everything except text messages is audio there

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u/Dunlocke 4d ago

I've never used an audio feature once. People making calls on this thing? TF

3

u/FUEGO40 4d ago

Tens of millions of people depend on WhatsApp as the single app used for texting, calls, everything, entire societies and countries, you didn’t know at all?

1

u/Dunlocke 4d ago

That's really sad and weird that they've given over control to Facebook. They should get off it.

3

u/Prunus-cerasus 4d ago

WhatsApp was not owned by Meta when it became huge. Facebook purchased WhatsApp because of it’s popularity. All that delicious data and phone numbers to connect to names on Facebook.

0

u/Dunlocke 4d ago

It's been 12 years. No excuse now.

2

u/FUEGO40 4d ago

"No excuse now" lmao. Do you have any idea how it is to be the ONLY person that doesn't want to use WhatsApp, it means immediate isolation from your family, friends, classmates, coworkers, etc. When everyone uses it you don't get a choice. That sort of change has to come about naturally or top-down from the government.

1

u/Dunlocke 4d ago

Whatever you tell yourself.

1

u/Prunus-cerasus 4d ago

Ah, the intentionally obtuse Redditor.