Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg learned Wednesday that his massively popular social network may unwittingly be sharing more about its users than they – or he – ever agreed to.
On Wednesday, March 12, The Intercept reported on classified files leaked by Edward Snowden that the National Security Agency has covertly hacked into Facebook, bypassing the site’s own security measures in order to obtain information about its users. Zuckerberg responded Thursday with a post on his own site describing his unhappiness at the news, and revealing that he reached out to President Barack Obama by telephone to register his displeasure.
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According to information in Snowden’s documents, the NSA “implanted” malware into potentially millions of computers in order to secure information about their users. But the technology used in order to stage the grab is as troubling as it is groundbreaking, because it relies on automated programs that reduce or eliminate the presence of human oversight in the process.
Although Zuckerberg emphasized the importance for internet security, and careful monitoring of content on Facebook, he observed that his efforts should be used to the consumer’s benefit. “When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we’re protecting you against criminals, not our own government,” he said.
“The US government should be the champion for the internet, not a threat. They need to be much more transparent about what they’re doing, or otherwise people will believe the worst.”
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Meanwhile, Obama has not responded publicly to the reports of NSA malfeasance, nor to Zuckerberg’s complaints. Nor TV Mix’s friend request.
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SOURCE: TVMix.com
