Meta Denies Netflix Had Access to Users’ Private Facebook Messages
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has vehemently denied allegations suggesting that it provided Netflix with access to users’ private messages on the social media platform. The claim, which gained traction after Elon Musk, owner of X, amplified related posts with comments like “Wow” and “Yup,” stems from a court filing in a class-action lawsuit concerning data privacy practices involving Meta.
The court document alleges a “special relationship” between Netflix and Facebook, asserting that Netflix had access to Meta’s “Inbox API,” providing programmatic access to users’ private message inboxes. However, Meta’s communications director, Andy Stone, refuted these claims in a statement on X, labeling them as “shockingly untrue.” Stone clarified that while Netflix did have access to Meta’s Inbox API, it was for facilitating messaging between users about Netflix content directly from the Netflix app, rather than accessing private messages.
This denial contrasts with previous reports, including one by The New York Times in 2018, which claimed that Netflix, along with Spotify, could read users’ private messages. Me ta, at the time, refuted these allegations through a blog post, emphasizing that third-party access was strictly limited to composing, reading, and deleting messages related to the third-party app’s content.
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The document further outlines Netflix’s access to Facebook’s “Titan API” and details of their advertising partnership. Netflix’s substantial spending on Facebook ads, totaling $40 million in 2015 and $150 million in 2017, solidified their close relationship. This partnership included sharing user data for ad targeting and optimization purposes.
Moreover, Me ta’s decision to reduce spending on original programming for Facebook Watch, purportedly to avoid competing directly with Netflix, underscores the depth of their collaboration. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally intervened to cut Facebook Watch’s budget by $750 million in 2018, signaling the company’s strategic shift away from competing in the streaming space.
While Meta denies any wrongdoing regarding data privacy practices, questions linger about the extent of third-party access to user data and the safeguards in place to protect user privacy. The controversy surrounding Meta’s handling of user data underscores the ongoing debate over privacy rights in the digital age.
