Facebook’s VPN Scandal: The Acquisition Of Onavo Spied On Millions – TDS NEWS

In 2013, Facebook quietly acquired Onavo, an Israeli tech company specializing in mobile analytics. At the center of that acquisition was Onavo Protect, a virtual private network (VPN) app marketed as a way for users to browse safely and manage data usage. What most users didn’t realize was that Onavo Protect was collecting detailed information about their mobile habits and sending it directly to Facebook. Over the years, more than 33 million users downloaded the app. Behind the scenes, it served as a window into how people used their phones—tracking which apps were being opened, how long they were used, and how much data they consumed. Facebook reportedly used this data to monitor market threats, including identifying the growing popularity of WhatsApp and Snapchat. That intelligence shaped some major business moves. It helped justify Facebook’s $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp in 2014. Similarly, insights gathered from Onavo reportedly informed the rollout of Instagram Stories, which mimicked core features of Snapchat after it was flagged as a rising competitor. Apple stepped in by 2018, concluding that Onavo Protect violated its App Store rules. The app was removed for collecting user data beyond what was necessary for its function. That takedown sparked
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