1. Meta denies giving Netflix access to users’ private messages, despite claims in a court filing.
2. Elon Musk amplified the claims on X, leading to backlash and accusations of selling user data.
3. Netflix did have programmatic access to Facebook’s user inboxes, but did not use it to read private messages; the document also details a close relationship between Netflix and Facebook, including spending on ads and sharing user data for ad targeting.
Meta is denying claims that it gave Netflix access to users’ private messages, which gained attention after Elon Musk retweeted posts on the matter. The allegations came from a court filing in a class-action lawsuit against Meta, suggesting a “special relationship” between Netflix and Facebook that included access to private messages.
Meta’s communications director, Andy Stone, refuted the claims, stating that Netflix had access to an “Inbox API” but did not read private messages. This was a common industry practice for companies to share information about what users were watching or listening to without compromising privacy.
Despite Meta’s denial, past reports have suggested that Netflix and Spotify could read users’ messages, although Meta claimed this was for messaging friend recommendations and did not involve sharing private messages. The lack of end-to-end encryption at the time left room for doubt about message privacy.
The document also detailed how Netflix’s advertising business was connected to Facebook, with Reed Hastings and Mark Zuckerberg communicating directly about ad spending and user data. Facebook reportedly cut its competitive efforts against Netflix to maintain the relationship, highlighting the close ties between the two companies.
Additionally, the filing revealed Meta’s monitoring of Snapchat traffic and other undisclosed actions. This information adds to the complexity of the claims surrounding user privacy and data sharing between tech companies.