iOS Bug or Facebook Secretly Traces Users through iPhone Camera?
Twitter user Joshua Maddux noticed that the camera of his iPhone was active while he was scrolling the newsfeed on Facebook.
Maddux shared a video showing the suspicious activity of his smartphone's camera when he browses posts on the Facebook iOS app. He discovered the same problem on five iPhones running iOS 13.2.2. While devices with iOS 12 didn't have this problem:
Found a @facebook #security & #privacy issue. When the app is open, it actively uses the camera. I found a bug in the app that lets you see the camera open behind your feed. Note that I had the camera pointed at the carpet.
The Next Web got interested in this case and decided to check the statement of Maddux and make sure that the camera is really active in the background mode while surfing the Facebook app.
Even if so, there is one essential thing users should know: the camera won't work without your consent if you do not give the app permission to use the camera.
And still, no one specified whether it is an error in iOS 13.2.2 or it is an expected innovation in the social network app that secretly gathers data. Android device owners haven't yet reported about this scenario.