Facebook incorporates hidden codes in photos for download
According to researcher Edin Jusupovic, social network Facebook includes hidden codes in photos uploaded by users to the site.
The company can track the activity associated with them and use this data to target advertising.“I noticed a structural anomaly while viewing the dump in hexadecimal format from an unknown source and found inside, as I already understood, a special IPTC instruction. A shocking level of surveillance “, – said Yusupovich in his Twitter.
According to him, Facebook can track photos even outside its network, accurately determining who initially uploaded the photo (and having much more information).
Read also: Facebook was fined $ 5 billion for violation of confidentiality laws
“IPTC Special Instructions” are in fact watermarks added by Facebook to tag images. They can be used to track ownership of images, to eliminate copyright infringements, to provide advanced user services, for more accurate advertising targeting and to track links between different users.