Meta Faces Accusations of Secretly Spying on Snapchat to Gain Competitive Edge

Unsealed court documents reveal Meta's alleged use of controversial data interception techniques to analyze Snapchat's encrypted traffic, sparking legal and ethical concerns.

Court documents expose Meta's 'Ghostbusters' project aimed at decrypting Snapchat data to outmaneuver its rival in the social media ad market.
Meta's initiative involved 'man-in-the-middle' attacks, violating privacy and potentially breaking wiretap laws, according to lawsuits.
Facebook's secret surveillance led to the development of competing features, such as Instagram Stories, directly impacting Snapchat's ad business.
Internal opposition at Meta highlighted the program as a 'legal, technical, and security nightmare,' with senior executives questioning its ethics.
Advertisers suing Meta claim the company's actions allowed it to unfairly raise ad rates, harming competition and violating antitrust laws.