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Did Meta launch secret project called 'Project Ghostbusters' to intercept and decrypt Snapchat's traffic? Read on
Facebook began a secret project in 2016 with the goal of intercepting and decrypting network communication between users of its servers and Snapchat's app.
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Meta allegedly launched a secret project called Project Ghostbusters
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Meta created an app to intercept data on Snapchats traffic
According to TechCrunch, Meta allegedly started a covert project named "Project Ghostbusters" to intercept data on Snapchat's network traffic. The project, whose name references Snapchat's ghost logo, aimed to decrypt Snapchat's encrypted network traffic statistics in an attempt to comprehend user behavior and compete with Snapchat, according to newly discovered documents in a class action complaint filed by consumers against Meta.
Meta developed an app to track Snapchat's traffic
The lawsuit claimed that they later expanded this project to YouTube and Amazon. High-level executives' emails, which were included as evidence in the lawsuit, disclosed that Meta developed applications for iOS and Android that could be downloaded to track in-app usage. Additionally, Meta charged users—some of whom were teenagers—to download and install this app on their phones to receive traffic metrics from Snapchat.
As Zuckerberg pointed out, Snapchat's safe analytics server receives encrypted data about the when, how, and precise actions of its users through its in-app analytics. This is significant, and the complaint refers to it as the "secret sauce" that makes Snapchat unique and engaging. As a result, Meta developed the In-App Action Panel ("IAAP") initiative in 2016. The goal of this experiment was to get beyond Snapchat's encryption and gain access to the analytics within the app.
The panel planned to "develop 'kits' that can be installed on iOS and Android that intercept traffic for specific sub-domains, allowing us to read what would otherwise be encrypted traffic so we can measure in-app usage," according to an email they sent out outlining a "technical solution." This strategy was dubbed the "man-in-the-middle" technique.
To execute this "man-in-the-middle" scheme, an application that could intercept user data before it was encrypted had to be installed on the device. In exchange, Meta intended to pay customers to download and install the "Onavo" app on their gadgets.
Lawsuit claims
Sarah Grabert and Maximilian Klein launched the class action lawsuit in 2020. It charged Meta with upholding a monopoly and engaging in anti-competitive behavior by using deceit to gather intelligence, including user data. Emails purportedly showing Meta's C-suite executive discussing efforts to obtain access to "valuable analytics" to aid in "trying to build a clone of Snapchat" were also filed as evidence in the complaint. They contend that this is an anti-competitive act.
The lawsuit stated, "Nascent rival Snapchat, which was aggressively expanding its advertising business ahead of a 2017 IPO, threatened Meta's advertising hegemony in 2016." Zuckerberg relentlessly pursued a redesign of Meta's products to offset this threat from competitors. According to the lawsuit, Meta's activities are both illegal and anti-competitive. The US WireTap Act, which makes it illegal to "intentionally intercept any electronic communications," is allegedly broken by Meta.
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