Facebook shared user DMs with Netflix 'for nearly a decade', a lawsuit claims
Facebook parent company Meta allegedly allowed Netflix to peer at its user DMs 'for nearly a decade' to help the streaming giant better tailor content for its own users, an explosive lawsuit has alleged.
Court documents unsealed on March 23 that were filed last April as part of a major anti-trust lawsuit against Meta appear to have exposed the intricate relationship between two of Silicon Valley's biggest players.
The class-action lawsuit, filed by two US citizens, Maximilian Klein and Sarah Grabert, alleged Netflix and Facebook 'enjoyed a special relationship', with the social media platform giving the streaming site 'bespoke access' to user data.
The two Silicon Valley players also agreed to 'custom partnerships and integrations that helped supercharge Facebook's ad targeting and ranking models' from at least 2011, thanks to the personal relationship between Netflix's co-founder Reed Hastings and Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerburg.
Lawyers alleged that 'within a month' of Hastings joining Facebook's board of directors, the two companies signed an 'Inbox API' (Application Programming Interface) agreement that 'allowed Netflix programmatic access to Facebook's user's private message inboxes.'
APIs are pieces of software that allow different applications to communicate and share information.
In exchange, Netflix would provide a report to Facebook, which changed its name to Meta in October 2021, every fortnight that showed how its own users interacted with the platform.
Meta, along with much of Silicon Valley, has been forced to pay millions of dollars in fines for the way it handles the private information of its users.
In 2022, Ireland fined Meta €265 million ($284 million) after data about more than half a billion users leaked online.
Source: Facebook 'let Netflix see user DMs to help them tailor content'
Wow! I’m shocked, but can’t say I’m not suprised since Facebook is always Up too no good with user privacy. What are your thoughts on this?
Facebook parent company Meta allegedly allowed Netflix to peer at its user DMs 'for nearly a decade' to help the streaming giant better tailor content for its own users, an explosive lawsuit has alleged.
Court documents unsealed on March 23 that were filed last April as part of a major anti-trust lawsuit against Meta appear to have exposed the intricate relationship between two of Silicon Valley's biggest players.
The class-action lawsuit, filed by two US citizens, Maximilian Klein and Sarah Grabert, alleged Netflix and Facebook 'enjoyed a special relationship', with the social media platform giving the streaming site 'bespoke access' to user data.
The two Silicon Valley players also agreed to 'custom partnerships and integrations that helped supercharge Facebook's ad targeting and ranking models' from at least 2011, thanks to the personal relationship between Netflix's co-founder Reed Hastings and Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerburg.
Lawyers alleged that 'within a month' of Hastings joining Facebook's board of directors, the two companies signed an 'Inbox API' (Application Programming Interface) agreement that 'allowed Netflix programmatic access to Facebook's user's private message inboxes.'
APIs are pieces of software that allow different applications to communicate and share information.
In exchange, Netflix would provide a report to Facebook, which changed its name to Meta in October 2021, every fortnight that showed how its own users interacted with the platform.
Meta, along with much of Silicon Valley, has been forced to pay millions of dollars in fines for the way it handles the private information of its users.
In 2022, Ireland fined Meta €265 million ($284 million) after data about more than half a billion users leaked online.
Source: Facebook 'let Netflix see user DMs to help them tailor content'
Wow! I’m shocked, but can’t say I’m not suprised since Facebook is always Up too no good with user privacy. What are your thoughts on this?
