Facebook: Netflix and Spotify had access to Messenger for integration

Netflix, Spotify and two other companies had access to users’ Facebook Messenger messages for the integration they offered in their apps, Facebook claims. It was revealed this week that various companies could read, write and delete messages.

That access was necessary for the integration of, among others, Netflix and Spotify in Facebook Messenger to function, says the social network company. In the case of Netflix, for example, it was a function to recommend a movie or series to a contact via Messenger in the Netflix app. To show those contacts and messages, access to read and write messages is necessary.

That Netflix had built in that function is apparent from a now-deleted announcement, including the screenshot that Facebook now also shows. Spotify had about the same function in its app, Facebook claims. There is no announcement of this. The same goes for Dropbox, which allowed users to share links to folders. The Royal Bank of Canada announcement from 2013 can be found online.

There was a fuss this week, when The New York Times wrote that Netflix and Spotify, among others, had access to private messages on Facebook Messenger. The social networking company writes that all functions were publicly discussed and have not worked for several years now. It is unknown whether users realized how much access they gave Netflix, Spotify, Dropbox and the Canadian bank when using the apps.