Lack of privacy on the internet is becoming a growing concern among many, especially amid allegations that Facebook is selling its users' private chats to online streaming service Netflix.

This shocking revelation came to light with a lawsuit filed in April 2023, alleging that the tech giant Meta, which owns Facebook, provided Netflix access to Facebook users' private messages for almost a decade. This action exhibits a clear violation of users' privacy. 

As per the lawsuit, Facebook was selling the data and was receiving millions of dollars from Netflix in exchange. It also highlights the close ties between Netflix and Facebook, as Netflix's co-founder, Reed Hastings, is involved in Facebook's decision-making as one of its board members.

The court document stated, “Netflix programmatic access to Facebook’s private messages inboxes, in exchange Netflix would ‘provide to FB a written report every two weeks that shows daily counts of recommendations sends and recipient clicks by interface, initiation surface, and/or implementation variation (e.g. Facebook vs. non-Facebook recommendation receipts)."

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Talking about the allegations on Meta and Facebook, Meta's communications head, Andy Stone denied the claims and wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Shockingly untrue. Meta didn’t share people’s private messages with Netflix. The agreement allowed people to message their friends on Facebook about what they were watching on Netflix, directly from the Netflix app. Such agreements are commonplace in the industry."

 

 

The lawsuit also alleges that Facebook's decision to shut down its streaming business was not due to cost-cutting measures but was influenced by Netflix, a prominent advertiser on Facebook. To avoid competing, Facebook discontinued its streaming service, Facebook Watch in April 2023. 

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