Facebook’s ‘Ghostbusters’ Secret: How the Social Media Giant Tried to Spy on Snapchat Users and Win Market Share

In 2016, Facebook sought to gain a competitive edge over Snapchat through a secretive project called ‘Ghostbusters’. This was revealed in new court documents that were made public in ongoing litigation in the Federal Court of California. The project involved Meta (formerly Facebook) utilizing its Onavo virtual private network (VPN) service, acquired three years prior, to access encrypted data and traffic from Snapchat users.

According to the court documents, Meta/Facebook used Onavo to intercept encrypted traffic in a technique known as ‘man in the middle’, with the goal of gaining a competitive advantage. The initial focus of the project was on accessing Snapchat data but it later expanded to include YouTube and Amazon as well.

The lawsuit alleges that Facebook exploited user data deceptively and engaged in anti-competitive practices through the use of Onavo. Sarah Grabert and Maximilian Klein filed the lawsuit against Meta/Facebook in 2020 after Onavo was shut down in 2019. The suit claims that Facebook failed to disclose its use of Onavo for market analysis, which violated user privacy and gave Facebook an unfair advantage over its rivals.

In response to these allegations, Meta/Facebook has defended its use of Onavo, stating that it was disclosed in Onavo’s policies. However, this has not been enough to quell concerns about privacy and anti-competitive practices within the tech industry. The case continues to unfold as more information becomes available, shedding light on Facebook’s efforts to spy on users of competing apps in their quest for market dominance.