Founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, has denied Facebook involvement in the recent PRISM (U.S. National Security Agency's secret Internet surveillance program) scandal.
Facebook company statement regarding PRISM (read below)
"Protecting the privacy of our users and their data is a top priority for Facebook. We do not provide any government organization with direct access to Facebook servers. When Facebook is asked for data or information about specific individuals, we carefully scrutinize any such request for compliance with all applicable laws, and provide information only to the extent required by law."
However, the above statement leaves room for speculation as to Facebook's role in 'a kind of' surveillance attempt(s) through the focus on 'direct access to Facebook servers'. How about third party servers? Are they being used? This vagueness is creating speculation as to the exact role Facebook and other sites are playing in this 'program' as well as the specific strategies used to obtain / provide these types of private data.
Zuckerberg's statement on his Facebook page:
"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."
Alongside Zuckerberg, heads of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft have also denied any involvement.
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