This afternoon founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, has published a personal response towards press referring to the PRISM operation which was recently revealed to have been taking place within the United States and UK governments and collecting user data from Facebook, Google, Apple and a variety of other online giants.
In the statement published on Zuckerberg’s personal Facebook account he says, “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“, his statement then goes on to say “And if we did, we would fight it aggressively. We hadn’t even heard of PRISM before yesterday.“
A UK based news paper recently revealed that a secret operating was taking place within the National Security Agency which gave them the right to mine user data without a public court order or without asking for the users permission. Since the report has been published many of the accused websites and business have claimed no part of this operation; Facebook now being one of them.
While more information is revealed about the secret operating many of the worlds biggest online service providers and retailers are commenting on the recent report published by both a UK newspaper and U.S based publisher. Zuckerberg’s full statement can be found below.
“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.”
Via: Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)
Image Via: QZ