The name of this Israeli app was Onavo. It promised to “secure your data” and reduce mobile data usage. When Facebook bought it in 2013, Zuck said the app would help them connect more people to the internet. Facebook even promised to keep Onavo running as a standalone brand.

But Onavo operated as a VPN that routed all your phone's internet traffic through Facebook's servers before sending it anywhere else. Facebook could see: • Every app you opened • How long you used it • Which websites you visited • And at what time you used each app

What did this mean for Facebook? It meant that Zuck could see exactly which one of Facebook's competitor was growing popular among people. Look how Facebook was tracking these apps (revealed in the court later):

By 2016, this data revealed Snapchat was exploding in popularity. But there was one problem: Snapchat's traffic was encrypted, so Facebook couldn't see how people were using it. In an email, Zuck says: It seems important to figure out a way to get reliable analytics about them

Facebook's started "Project Ghostbusters" - named after Snapchat's ghost logo. They would use "man-in-the-middle" attacks to break Snapchat's encryption. Within a month, Facebook's engineers built "kits" that could intercept Snapchat's data before it got encrypted.

Facebook created custom client & server side code based on Onavo’s VPN proxy app. This code included a client-side “kit” that installed a root certificate on Snapchat users’ mobile devices. Then Facebook’s servers created fake digital certificates to impersonate Snapchat

Seeing Snapchat's success, Zuckerberg offered to buy it for $3 billion. But when Snap's CEO refused the offer, Facebook launched Snap's most famous feature on Instagram - Stories.

But this wasn't just about Snapchat. Facebook used Onavo to systematically monitor Houseparty, YouTube, Amazon, and dozens of other apps. Any rising competitor was identified, analyzed, and neutralized.

Apple forced Onavo off the App Store for violating privacy rules. So Facebook rebranded it as "Facebook Research" and started paying teens $20/month to install it on their phones. When Apple found out, they revoked Facebook's certificates, breaking ALL of Facebook's iOS apps.

Onavo shows how Big Tech weaponizes our trust. 33 million people installed privacy protection that was actually the most sophisticated corporate surveillance tool ever built.

Thanks for making it to the end! I'm Alex, COO at ColdIQ. Built a $6M ARR business in under 2 years. Started with two founders doing everything. Now we're a remote team across 10 countries, helping 400+ businesses scale through outbound systems.

RT the first tweet if you found this thread valuable. Follow me @itsalexvacca for more threads on outbound and GTM strategy, AI-powered sales systems, and how to build profitable businesses that don't depend on you. I share what worked (and what didn't) in real time.

@itsalexvacca Zuckerberg is and long has been a criminal. A thief. A psychopath. Revealed since he stole the networking project (which became FB) at Harvard. When will he be held accountable.

@itsalexvacca Zuck invading privacy and stealing people’s data since the beginning of time

@itsalexvacca Yep. People don’t know how badly Zuck deserves jail time. This is just ONE of the known security compromises they’ve intentionally performed…and there’s more that still hasn’t surfaced. 👀

@itsalexvacca Fewer people know this story than they should! Onavo was in many ways Facebook’s best acquisition ever and the reason they are where they are today

@itsalexvacca

@itsalexvacca So basically, they wrapped spyware in a “privacy” app, sold you safety, and bought the competition with your data. And people still think they’re just a social media company. 😐

@itsalexvacca Based on lawsuits alleging Meta's Onavo VPN enabled illegal surveillance via MITM attacks on Snapchat traffic, potential charges against Zuckerberg include: - Wiretap Act (18 U.S.C. § 2511): Up to 5 years per count for intercepting communications. - CFAA (18 U.S.C. § 1030): Up

@itsalexvacca How am I just reading this? And how was Meta allowed to go this far without any repercussions? Clear violation of privacy and anti competitive business practices

@itsalexvacca

@itsalexvacca A technical deep dive: https://haxrob.net/onavo-faceb...

@itsalexvacca And we are trusting someone of his morals with superintelligence AI. We're cooked.

@itsalexvacca Facebook is the CIA.

@itsalexvacca There’s a reason we are fighting for a digital bill of rights

@itsalexvacca @realDonaldTrump we know Mark Zuckerberg is a deep state Anti American treasonous, seditious terrorist. He has interfered in America’s elections and used censorship, propaganda, etc against America. Put his pathetic little butt in Gitmo. Defund him. Round up his accomplices.

@itsalexvacca There is a sequel to the Social Network movie coming next year. I hope they mention that Facebook bought a Israeli VPN app, and spied on users in collab with Israel. Normies/wokes/they/them's wouldnt believe it was real unless it was in a movie/ad. 😅

@itsalexvacca Zuck is a fraud.

@itsalexvacca A lot of people think Zuck just got lucky. Those people are morons.

@itsalexvacca So Facebook was spying on people's nudie pics via Snapchat. Gathered extortion material maybe? And then "..paying teens $20/month to install it on their phones". Watching teens trading nudie pics.. Zuckerberg a discount Epstein?

@itsalexvacca A VPN’s security ends where its CEO’s greed begins.

@itsalexvacca Zuckerberg is evil... He needs to be legally neutralised! And so does everything linked to Meta! A message needs to be sent towards all big tech companies... But nothing will happen.

@itsalexvacca Facebook is a criminal organization.

@itsalexvacca Woah

@itsalexvacca Damn. We really can't trust these guys

@itsalexvacca 33M+ users' trust broken by Facebook's surveillance tool. How many more secrets are they hiding? #Facebook