Facebook let Netflix peek into user DMs, explosive court docs claim

Explosive court documents unsealed last week reveal that Meta allegedly allowed Netflix access to Facebook users' direct messages for nearly a decade, violating anti-competitive activities and privacy rules.

The documents are part of an ongoing anti-trust lawsuit filed by Maximilian Klein and Sarah Grabert, alleging a special relationship between Netflix and Facebook, facilitating tailored ads and generating millions in ad revenue for Facebook, reports Fox Business. 

The lawsuit also implicates Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, who joined Facebook's board and influenced the closure of Facebook Watch, a competitor to Netflix.

According to the lawsuit, Netflix had access to Facebook's private messaging API, allowing it to tailor recommendations and send messages directly to users.

"For nearly a decade, Netflix and Facebook enjoyed a special relationship. Netflix bought hundreds of millions of dollars in Facebook ads; entered into a series of agreements sharing data with Facebook; received bespoke access to private Facebook APIs; and agreed to custom partnerships and integrations that helped supercharge Facebook's ad targeting and ranking models," the lawsuit states.

Meta denies sharing private messages with Netflix, stating the agreement allowed users to message friends about what they were watching on Netflix.

"Meta didn't share people's private messages with Netflix," a Meta spokesperson told Fox Business on Tuesday.

In a similar incident in 2018, the New York Times reported Facebook's authorization for Spotify and Netflix to access users' DMs, fueling explosive growth and ad revenue.

Meta has faced fines for previous privacy breaches, including a $284 million fine in Ireland for a data leak affecting millions of users, and a $725 million settlement for the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where personal information was exploited for political targeting during the 2016 election.