Apps Tracking You in Incognito Mode? New Report Exposes Meta and Yandex

We often think that when we are browsing in incognito mode, our search is secure. But what if this is not true? New research has revealed that popular apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Yandex Maps may be tracking your web activity, even when you’re browsing in incognito mode. This has raised serious concerns about privacy on Android devices.

According to researchers from the Local Mess project, these apps used a clever method to link your browser activity to your app identity. The tools involved are called Meta Pixel and Yandex Metrica.

They are supposed to help websites measure traffic. But in this case, they were quietly passing browsing data to apps on the same phone. If you’re logged into Facebook or Yandex, the app could connect that data to your account.

Apps Tracking You in Incognito Mode? New Report Exposes Meta and Yandex

This happened through something called localhost. It’s part of your phone’s internal network. When a site loads Meta Pixel or Yandex Metrica, it can send signals to apps via localhost without your permission. Even in private mode, your activity may be exposed.

Researchers say Meta started using this in late 2024. Yandex, however, may have used it as far back as 2017.

Yandex Responds

After the reports started circulating on the internet, Yandex immediately issued an official statement:

“Yandex strictly complies with data protection standards and does not de-anonymize user data. The feature in question does not collect any sensitive information and is solely intended to improve personalization within our apps. Having reviewed the concerns, we have decided to discontinue its use and are in the process of removing the feature from our applications. We are also in communication with Google to ensure full compliance with their app store policies.”

Ongoing Concerns

Meta, on the other hand, has paused the feature and is talking to Google to clear up what it calls a “potential miscommunication” over policy rules. But Google disagrees. The company said this kind of tracking violates Play Store policies and goes against user expectations of privacy.

Browsers like Brave and DuckDuckGo have already blocked some of this behaviour. Google Chrome is also rolling out fixes. But experts warn that these may only be temporary. A few tweaks in the code could let companies bypass the new protections again.

Meta Pixel is currently used on around six million websites, and Yandex Metrica on about three million. Most of these websites begin tracking users the moment the page loads, often before any cookie permission is even asked.

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What Can You Do?

If this feels like a major invasion of privacy, you’re not alone. Many users are shocked by how far this kind of tracking can go.

Right now, the only sure way to block this kind of tracking is to uninstall the affected apps from your device.

This incident is a reminder that digital privacy needs stronger protections. Also, users must stay alert about what apps are doing in the background.