Late Thursday, the Washington Post and Guardian reported about PRISM, a covert collaboration between the NSA, FBI, and practically every digital and physical tech giant that provides products and services to us on a daily basis.
According to the report, PRISM has given the government unprecedented access to individual’s personal information for the last six years.
As a result of this developing story, some have been quick to suggest that Facebook could be one of the biggest “spy mechanisms” at the government’s disposal. Moments ago, however, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg turned to Facebook to address the rumors and this burgeoning scandal head-on.
His statement, in its entirety, is as follows:
I want to respond personally to the outrageous press reports about PRISM:
Facebook is not and has never been part of any program to give the US or any other government direct access to our servers. We have never received a blanket request or court order from any government agency asking for information or metadata in bulk, like the one Verizon reportedly received. And if we did, we would fight it aggressively. We hadn’t even heard of PRISM before yesterday.
When governments ask Facebook for data, we review each request carefully to make sure they always follow the correct processes and all applicable laws, and then only provide the information if is required by law. We will continue fighting aggressively to keep your information safe and secure.
We strongly encourage all governments to be much more transparent about all programs aimed at keeping the public safe. It’s the only way to protect everyone’s civil liberties and create the safe and free society we all want over the long term.
