Meta Sued Over 'Ghostbusters' Project: Claims of Intercepting Rival App Data
March 27, 2024
Meta is involved in a class action lawsuit over a clandestine project called 'Ghostbusters', later renamed the 'In-App Action Panel' (IAAP), designed to intercept and analyze competitor app traffic.
The project targeted apps such as Snapchat, YouTube, and Amazon to leverage Facebook's position in the social media and advertising sectors.
Court documents allege Facebook employed a 'man-in-the-middle' approach, encouraging users to install kits that intercepted encrypted data from these apps.
These actions have sparked accusations against Meta for anticompetitive behavior and potential violations of wiretapping laws.
The lawsuit claims that Facebook's data collection practices allowed it to inflate ad rates and harm market competition.
Meta has denied the allegations and stated the issue was previously reported, but has not commented on the newly unsealed court documents detailing the project's methods.
Summary based on 6 sources
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Sources

Mashable • Mar 27, 2024
Facebook snooped on Snapchat, Amazon, and YouTube user data, documents reveal
Ars Technica • Mar 27, 2024
Facebook secretly spied on Snapchat usage to confuse advertisers, court docs say
The Register • Mar 27, 2024
Meta accused of snarfing people's Snapchat data via traffic decryption
Beebom • Mar 27, 2024
Facebook Spied on Snapchat Users With Its Secret Project: Documents Reveal