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The first post of this thread is a WikiPost and can be edited by anyone with the appropiate permissions. Your edits will be public.

EdT

macrumors 68020
Mar 11, 2007
2,428
1,979
Omaha, NE
CNET Link to article I don't even have a facebook account!
Yes you probably do. If anyone that you know has included you in their post and Facebook can gleam enough information to identify you (which is probably a yes) then they build a profile of you. If you buy something online from a lot of vendors then if that vendor used one of Facebook services then Facebook has created a profile and saves that data. And again any information collected technically isn’t yours because you don’t have an account. Last I knew you could not delete it because you didn’t create the account. I don’t know if you can see what information Facebook has on you at all in cases like this.
 

upandown

macrumors 65816
Apr 10, 2017
1,258
1,248
If it helps, 1blocker can locally block trackers system wide for all apps.
 
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Sharewaredemon

macrumors 68020
May 31, 2004
2,014
273
Cape Breton Island
But… where do you find these info? Under settings > privacy and then…?

I haven’t been able to find anything but I also per default asks apps not to track.
If you are running the latest iOS, at the bottom of the privacy section is App Privacy Report, you have to go in, and turn it on manually. Or at least I did.
 

contacos

macrumors 601
Nov 11, 2020
4,780
18,522
Mexico City living in Berlin
I still do not fully understand how this works. I use an AdBlocker with VPN to also block tracking within apps (as far as I understood) then how can all these apps still ping those domains? or does the report simply mean the app is "trying" to call domain xy but fails or the data is empty due to the VPN?
 

upandown

macrumors 65816
Apr 10, 2017
1,258
1,248
I still do not fully understand how this works. I use an AdBlocker with VPN to also block tracking within apps (as far as I understood) then how can all these apps still ping those domains? or does the report simply mean the app is "trying" to call domain xy but fails or the data is empty due to the VPN?
I think the app privacy report shows actual contacts to domains. And tracking blocking apps will block only the domains listed to block. Obviously some of the domains still need to be contacted for the app to work. It’s probably not perfect but does cut down on known bad actors.
 

Blue Hawk

macrumors 68000
Dec 18, 2017
1,596
1,214
Germany
1blocker does not have any significant battery drain probably because it’s all done on the device.

And imo “jumbo vpn” doesn’t sound trustworthy.
It’s a good privacy app but too expensive. Everything happens on your device too. I want to try 1 Blocker again but I wished Adblock Pro would have this too because I am using AB Pro as an ad blocker.
 

spartan1967

macrumors 6502a
Nov 9, 2019
597
883
Here is an interesting one. I’ve used Facebook numerous times since 15.2 installed and it has Not shown up in the privacy report yet. I have app tracking off. Other Apple apps appear normal with mic, contacts etc.
 

ninecows

macrumors 6502a
Apr 9, 2012
663
1,077
Settings>Privacy then scroll to the bottom and hit App Privacy Report. You have to be running iOS 15.2 though. It released yesterday.
Thanks… dont know how I missed that. I’m usually on top of these.

I have of a lot of apps calling Facebook. I really wish next step for iOS would be to just press these calls and select “block”. I don’t even have a Facebook, but still a 3rd party app think it’s ok just to call Facebook from my phone
 
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upandown

macrumors 65816
Apr 10, 2017
1,258
1,248
It’s a good privacy app but too expensive. Everything happens on your device too. I want to try 1 Blocker again but I wished Adblock Pro would have this too because I am using AB Pro as an ad blocker.
Adblock, Adblock Pro or any variation of that is not trustworthy.
 

upandown

macrumors 65816
Apr 10, 2017
1,258
1,248
Here is an interesting one. I’ve used Facebook numerous times since 15.2 installed and it has Not shown up in the privacy report yet. I have app tracking off. Other Apple apps appear normal with mic, contacts etc.
That’s extremely suspicious but wouldn’t surprise me if they found a way around being tracked. Although since it’s highly visible now it won’t last long. IF that’s indeed what’s going on. Could just be an iOS bug.
 

wa2be

macrumors member
Aug 30, 2016
91
60
Interestingly, Apple's Health app has been accessing my contacts. No idea why, I don't even use the Health app.
 
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MauiPa

macrumors 68040
Apr 18, 2018
3,430
5,080
I’ll add another call out. The Apple Store app accessed my contacts six days ago, yet it has never “asked” me for access to my contacts nor is there a toggle to turn that off.
isn't that your personal info? Could be lots of legitimate reasons, if you find out more, let us know

I’m far more interested in apple’s first party apps tracking record than any third party app tracking record. Apple is notorious to hold double standards, so it would be interesting to see how much double standards they have.

Btw, maybe first post becomes wiki so everyone can edit? Tho if iOS beta thread is of any indication, I don’t see it being that useful.
LOL, so funny. Look forward to you proving that, can't wait

Why is my watch accessing my photos? I don’t look at photos on my watch.
watch faces?

Interestingly, Apple's Health app has been accessing my contacts. No idea why, I don't even use the Health app.
there is a setting under health for health info with personal information from contacts, maybe that is it
 

foggygray

macrumors member
Jul 13, 2021
51
135
Ubiquiti's UniFi network app so far is my worst with 23 domains in the last ~15 minutes or so. Most of which appear to be calls out to domains and IP addresses owned by Amazon so probably AWS.
 

MacNerd01

macrumors 6502
Dec 10, 2021
323
403
The Psionic Plane
Thanks… dont know how I missed that. I’m usually on top of these.

I have of a lot of apps calling Facebook. I really wish next step for iOS would be to just press these calls and select “block”. I don’t even have a Facebook, but still a 3rd party app think it’s ok just to call Facebook from my phone
Quite welcome. I don’t have Facebook either, and none of my apps send data to Facebook. Probably my ad blocker, but you never know. I don’t really have any ”suspicious” apps.

My highest is 306 from google earth, but almost all of them are from my VPN. Engadget is kinda weird though, it’s contacting 5745 trackers. MacRumors only has 572…

My highest is 306 from google earth, but almost all of them are from my VPN. Engadget is kinda weird though, it’s contacting 5745 trackers. MacRumors only has 572…
Also, safari is… constantly accessing my contacts. Why? I don’t know.
 

TheColtr

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 1, 2014
541
736
California
Also, safari is… constantly accessing my contacts. Why? I don’t know.
Yeah safari is accessing my contacts about once a day and my music library ten times a day, so strange. It’s also a bit frustrating that Apple automatically grants their apps access to my data with no way to turn it off.
 
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ZachApple

macrumors newbie
Mar 17, 2019
27
12
Hmm, normal for lockdown?

c79ef52308e732a48adddd855bceb66a.png
Yes, because it acts as a pass through for all traffic on the device so it can block specific domains.
 

dk001

macrumors demi-god
Oct 3, 2014
10,693
15,043
Sage, Lightning, and Mountains
Updated Wiki

Surprisingly when I look at the domains most contacted, I had a couple of surprises.
Number one was Apple
Number two was Google
Face book was near the bottom (I do not have a FB account)

I still do not fully understand how this works. I use an AdBlocker with VPN to also block tracking within apps (as far as I understood) then how can all these apps still ping those domains? or does the report simply mean the app is "trying" to call domain xy but fails or the data is empty due to the VPN?
A VPN doesn’t stop the tracking but it seriously inhibits the data that is seen. Depending on the location in your VPN, ads can be generated based on that local.

Ad Blocker and VPN

Kind of like old times … Virus Protection and Malware Blocker.
 

MacNerd01

macrumors 6502
Dec 10, 2021
323
403
The Psionic Plane
Yeah safari is accessing my contacts about once a day and my music library ten times a day, so strange. It’s also a bit frustrating that Apple automatically grants their apps access to my data with no way to turn it off.
It‘s even worse for me…
C7B82336-4B75-4AAD-ABD0-2296DB0DF840.png
It’s seriously creepy. I dunno if it’s a website doing it, or what.
 

EddieKeyton1

macrumors 6502
Sep 28, 2021
314
289
All of these domain trackers like graph.Facebook.com and these long google activity tracking website. Are domains that these big networks use to store the info on where you’ve been.

For example.

I visit blah.com

Blah.com uses google Adsense for placing ads on their website to feed to their visitors. That will track back to google. Because the ad is served from google to blah.com. It tracks your activity and clicks and where you came from and where you’ve gone after to pay the blah.com account with Adsense. It works the same with google and every other website out there.

If a website has ads it is going to have a tracker that has tracked you and therefor you’ve contacted another domain. But those websites y’all are posting. Are tracking websites for data storage on you.

Also if you login to an app with your Facebook account or google account. It’ll also call google or Facebook. All of these apps are intertwined. These apps that are free. Serve you ads from Facebook and google and other ad companies. It’s how they make their money.
 
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