LONDON: Meta is alleged to have allowed Netflix to read the private messages of Facebook users, according to court documents unsealed last month.
A lawsuit filed by Maximilian Klein and Sarah Grabert against Meta in April last year claimed the practice had been going on “for nearly a decade,” so the streaming giant could better tailor content for its users.
The class action asserted that Netflix and Facebook maintained a “special relationship” with Facebook, granting the streaming platform “bespoke access” to user data through an “Inbox API.”
An API, or application programming interface, allows two or more computer programs or components to communicate with each other.
The plaintiffs also claimed the company curtailed spending on original programming for its Facebook Watch video service to avoid competing with Netflix, one of its biggest advertisers.
The claims gained attention on social media, particularly after Elon Musk, the owner of X, amplified multiple posts on the issue.
Meta’s Communications Director Andy Stone labeled the allegations “shockingly untrue” and denied claims that Meta shared users’ private messages with Netflix.
He said the agreement between the two companies allowed users to message friends on Facebook about their Netflix activity directly from the Netflix app, a practice common in the industry.
Facebook’s parent company is not new to such accusations. In 2018, The New York Times reported that Netflix and Spotify could access users’ private messages.
Meta disputed the claims in a blog post titled “Facts About Facebook’s Messaging Partnerships,” in which it said the two companies had access to APIs that enabled users to share content directly from their respective apps.
