Will a VPN Prevent You from Being Spied on by Facebook, Instagram, and Threads? It'll Only Help You
It’s a real pain to have the apps or tools we use every day for work or digital entertainment spying on you. Lately, almost every day we hear about new vulnerabilities or cyber threats threatening us from every corner of the internet. One of the latest things social networks are doing is collecting data. Many people think that a VPN will solve the problem, but it’s not that easy. Here I’ll explain whether a VPN will really stop Facebook, Instagram, and Threads from spying on you.
Moreover, on social networks, where we upload a huge amount of personal information and data, we tend to lower our guard. Being naive in this regard does not help at all, even if you feel that you are under the protection of a VPN. Here you will see how it is not easy to prevent the applications, networks, and tools you use from collecting your data.
What is a VPN, and how does it protect your privacy?
Virtual private networks, or VPNs, create an encrypted connection between your device and the web, hiding your IP address. This means that platforms like Facebook or Instagram can’t see your real location. The advantage? You can browse more anonymously, and location-based ads will be less inaccurate. However, while this is a great first step toward privacy, a VPN isn’t completely secure against all tracking methods.
Facebook and its apps may still collect data about your behavior on the platform, such as clicks, comments, and how long you stay on each post. A VPN helps prevent third parties from accessing your location, but your interactions within the app are still visible to Meta, its parent company.
We currently have a large number of VPN services at our disposal; we do not recommend using free VPN services except for WARP from Cloudflare, but this service does not allow us to connect to other countries; it will always connect to the nearest server in our country.
While a VPN can mask your location and protect your traffic on public Wi-Fi, it doesn’t prevent Facebook, Instagram, or Threads from collecting other data about you. Because these platforms have built-in trackers, like the Meta Pixel, that track your activity on and off the apps.
This means that while you’re browsing Facebook or checking photos on Instagram, these systems can see what you’re viewing, how long you’re spending on each piece of content, and what you’re liking. This data isn’t based on your IP address, so even if you have a VPN enabled, they’re still collecting information about your usage habits.
To further enhance your privacy, consider combining VPN use with other security settings, such as tracker blockers and privacy settings on your Facebook or Instagram account.
Using a VPN certainly helps protect your location and improve your privacy, especially on public Wi-Fi networks. However, it’s not a complete solution if your goal is to completely stop social media tracking. To maximize your privacy, it’s best to combine your VPN with privacy settings in each app and, if possible, use tracker blocking tools.
In short, while a VPN is a great tool for protecting your IP address and preventing your activities from being logged on public networks, it doesn’t block the data you generate while using social media. Combined with other measures, you can limit the amount of information Facebook, Instagram, and Threads collect about you, but social media tracking will still be largely unavoidable.