Facebook's Project Ghostbusters
Newly unsealed court documents reveal that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg directed executives to track encrypted usage on competing apps like Snapchat, YouTube, and Amazon in 2016, leading to the development of software that could intercept and decrypt traffic. The covert data collection project, named 'Project Ghostbusters,' aimed to gain a competitive advantage over rival apps and has raised concerns about Facebook's data collection practices and user privacy.
Key Points
- Mark Zuckerberg directed tracking of encrypted usage on rival apps
- Software developed to intercept and decrypt traffic
- Project Ghostbusters aimed to gain competitive advantage
- Serious questions raised about data collection and user privacy
- Ongoing class action lawsuit by advertisers
Pros
- Gained insights into encrypted usage on competing apps
- Developed software to intercept and decrypt traffic
Cons
- Raised serious questions about data collection practices
- Lack of respect for user privacy
- Allegations of unfair inflation of ad rates and maintaining a monopoly