When you're Mark Zuckerberg, you can do things a little differently from everyone else. Worried about a pesky construction project next door? Drop $30 million and buy up a four-pack of your neighbor's homes. Worried that the NSA's widespread surveillance may undermine everyone's trust in the internet and torpedo your social networking business? Give the President a call.
Apparently, that's what Zuck did last night, shortly after the website First Look Media reported that the NSA had been masquerading as a Facebook server in order to infect target computers. "I've called President Obama to express my frustration over the damage the government is creating for all of our future," Zuckerberg wrote in a note he posted to Facebook today.
When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we're protecting you against criminals, not our own government.
--Mark ZuckerbergA White House spokeswoman confirmed that Zuckerberg and Obama spoke last night, discussing "recent reports in the press about alleged activities by the U.S. intelligence community," but she declined to tell us what exactly was said. It seems, however, that Facebook's CEO and founder did not get what he wanted. "Unfortunately, it seems like it will take a very long time for true full reform," Zuckerberg wrote.
Zuckerberg is just one of the many people across Silicon Valley who are concerned about the future of the internet now that ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden has revealed the extent of the agency's surveillance programs. Although companies such as Facebook may participate in many of the agency's efforts, the scope of the NSA's spying has taken even savvy Silicon Valley insiders by surprise. Widespread spyingundermines everyone's trust in the internet. "To keep the internet strong, we need to keep it secure," Zuckerberg wrote. "This is why I've been so confused and frustrated by the repeated reports of the behavior of the US government. When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we're protecting you against criminals, not our own government."
Things were once better between Zuckerberg and Obama. Just over two years ago, Facebook hosted a town hall meeting where the friendly discussion revolved around the economy. Back then, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's scrutiny of Facebook's privacy policies was the topic most likely to come up in a private conversation. Since then, the tables have turned, and Zuckerberg is now the guy worried about privacy.
Today, Zuckerberg called on the feds "to be much more transparent about what they're doing, or otherwise people will believe the worst." But that isn't going to happen any time soon. Though the NSA has said that parts of yesterday's reports are incorrect, there remains much that is still unclear.
