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Facebook is now directing users to download a VPN called Onavo for "protection."
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The VPN is owned by Facebook, and sends information about your app usage habits to the company.
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Facebook has used this tool for a competitive advantage against other mobile apps.
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Critics say Facebook isn't clear enough about its ownership of Onavo.
Under the pretense of protecting your account, Facebook is telling users download to a Facebook-owned app that tracks what you do on your phone — and sends that information back to Facebook.
TechCrunch first noticed on Tuesday that Facebook added a menu item, called "protect," to its iPhone and iOS app. Clicking it takes users directly to the App Store listing of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) app called Onavo Protect, which is owned by Facebook.
Facebook bought Onavo, an Israeli company, in 2013. Since then, Facebook has been using the data collected from the service to keep tabs on how people use the apps on their phones, even when they're not using Facebook.
For example, the company used Onavo to see that Snapchat saw declining usage after Facebook introduced the competing Instagram Stories feature, The Wall Street Journal reported. It was also data from Onavo that reportedly inspired Facebook to launch a group video chat feature to its Messenger app — stymying a smaller app called Houseparty, which provided a very similar feature.
However, critics say that Facebook isn't clear enough about its affiliation with Onavo, implying that users might never know that the company uses the data from the app for such purposes.
Facebook did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment. Erez Naveh, Product Manager at Onavo, told TechCrunch that the app collects mobile data traffic to "help us recognize tactics that bad actors use." Naveh also noted that the app lets people know it collects data before users download it.
Here's what Onavo actually does — and why people are upset that Facebook is pushing it.
Facebook's Onavo is a Virtual Private Network, or VPN
Onavo is a Virtual Private Network, or a VPN.
There are several VPNs out there, and they essentially all do the same thing: route your internet traffic through a third-party server.
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This allows users to to mask their browsing activity from Internet Service Providers, like Comcast and AT&T. It can also make your computer look like it's in a different location, depending on where the third-party server is. Typically, VPNs themselves encrypt your traffic, making it harder for people to snoop on your activity.