Facebook Intercepts Web Traffic

In a newly disclosed court document,¹ it was revealed that Facebook launched a secretive initiative called GhostBusters in the late 2010s, which could intercept and decrypt the network traffic between people using Snapchat’s app and its servers.

This enabled them to maintain a competitive advantage over other platforms, primarily Snapchat, later followed with Youtube and Amazon.

How did they do this?

In early 2010s, Facebook acquired Onavo, an Israeli-based VPN service and mobile data analytics company known for data compression technology. This innovative technology was used to mitigate high bandwidth usage due to the high mobile data costs at the time.

After the acquision of this company, they integrated an advert on Facebook called “protect”, which redirected users to download Onavo. Once this was enabled, Facebook could easily track any application you use on your phone and gather insightful data.

What now?

If you use any meta products, which sadly is the case nowadays, try to isolate your environment. By isolating your browsing activities, you can better protect your personal information and reduce the likelihood of being tracked or targeted by malicious actors.