Facebook let Netflix see user DMs, quit streaming to keep Netflix happy (arstechnica.com)

Article summary

Facebook allegedly gave Netflix access to its users' private messages as part of a data-sharing agreement, and later shut down its Facebook Watch streaming service, potentially to appease Netflix and maintain their advertising partnership. The claims come from a class-action antitrust lawsuit against Meta, which also alleges that Facebook's relationship with Netflix was strong due to the latter's significant ad spend with the company. Facebook has denied the claims, stating that the agreement only allowed users to share what they were watching on Netflix with friends on Facebook. The lawsuit suggests that Facebook's decision to end its streaming ambitions may have been influenced by Netflix's interests.

Main themes

• Facebook data sharing
• Netflix partnership
• Streaming competition
• User privacy
• Antitrust lawsuit
• Advertising revenue

What commenters say

• The allegations suggest a disturbing level of cooperation between Facebook and Netflix, potentially at the expense of user privacy and fair competition.
• Facebook's decision to shut down its streaming service may have been a strategic move to maintain its advertising partnership with Netflix, rather than a purely business-driven decision.
• The claims of data sharing and privacy violations are not new, and have been previously reported, but the latest allegations provide further evidence of the extent of Facebook's data sharing practices.
• Some commenters argue that the issue is not whether Facebook used private messages for ad targeting, but rather that they shared private messages with third-party companies at all, which is a significant problem regardless of the purpose.
• Others believe that the allegations are not surprising, given the history of Facebook's data sharing practices and the company's prioritization of advertising revenue over user privacy.
• There is disagreement over the significance of the allegations, with some commenters downplaying the importance of the issue and others seeing it as a major scandal with significant implications for user privacy and competition in the tech industry.
• Some commenters are skeptical of Facebook's denials, given the company's history of misleading statements and lack of transparency around its data sharing practices.
• The allegations highlight the need for greater transparency and regulation of tech companies' data sharing practices, to protect user privacy and promote fair competition in the industry.