This is why your Facebook chats ended up on Netflix.

Allegations have been mounting against Facebook parent company Meta that Netflix accessed users' private messages on Messenger, raising serious concerns about user privacy and corporate ethics.

The troubling claim stems from an antitrust lawsuit that sheds light on social media's potential for harmful anti-competitive practices that harm competition and consumer rights.

Facebook Messenger deal with Netflix exposed

The lawsuit It points to complex negotiations and agreements between Meta and Netflix since 2013 that facilitated the exchange of user data for corporate profit. According to court documents, Netflix has been given the ability to read users' private messages. This contrasts with Meta's earlier assertion that private communications on Messenger and Facebook are guaranteed end-to-end encryption.

Access to users' private messages appears to allow Netflix to provide Facebook with insights into user interactions with streaming recommendations.

Netflix has entered into a series of “Facebook Extended API” agreements, including the so-called Inbox API, which allows Netflix to programmatically access Facebook users' private message inboxes, in exchange for Netflix providing Facebook with a bi-weekly report on daily referrals and received clicks. Features differences in interface, launch pad and/or implementation,'” the court documents read.

Further complicating matters, the lawsuit highlights the high financial ties between the two giants. Netflix, known as a major ad spender on Facebook, As of early 2019, $150 million was invested annually in Facebook ads.

In the year Former Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who served on Facebook's board from 2011 to 2019, orchestrated the close relationship between the companies. Hastings is said to have played a key role in steering the partnership during his tenure, including the controversial data-sharing agreements.

Meta's response to these allegations is to downplay the meaning of such agreements by labeling them as standard industry practice. However, the company did not directly address the implications of these practices on its competitive position.

Read more: Facebook under fire: Suspected VPN data theft revealed

The lawsuit paints a disturbing picture of the lengths to which companies will go to protect their interests at the expense of user privacy and fair competition.