Over the last few weeks, Facebook has faced a lot of criticism because of its privacy settings. However, though this may have intensified in the last month, Facebook is pretty used to bad press about privacy because there's always someone complaining about it. As usual, changes to the social network's privacy settings are the reason for the most recent upset and yesterday, Facebook held an all-hands meeting to discuss the company's privacy policy. That's encouraging news for users worried about their privacy, however, these latest IMs from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg are definitely not going to help calm the nerves of concerned users.
BusinessInsider today posted an instant messaging exchange between a younger Mark Zuckerberg and an anonymous friend:
Zuck: Yeah so if you ever need info about anyone at HarvardZuck: Just ask. Zuck: I have over 4,000 emails, pictures, addresses, SNS[Redacted Friend's Name]: What? How'd you manage that one?Zuck: People just submitted it. Zuck: I don't know why. Zuck: They "trust me" Zuck: Dumb fucks.
Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook when he was just 19 years old and in the months that followed, the college student and his staff are said to have been a raucous bunch. They did all kinds of things that most people wouldn't dream of doing at work. Arriving to work in their pajamas, throwing mental office parties at the house they rented in Palo Alto, and having Christmas parties at theme parks where attendees got wasted enough to throw up in the air vents on the bus were just some of the things they got up to.
That kind of carry-on can be forgiven. Facebook was started by a bunch of college students, so hearing they acted like a bunch of frat guys isn't exactly surprising nor is it likely to worry anyone. However, what is worrying is that Mark Zuckerberg was so casual about giving out users' details. Sure, Facebook was a fraction of the size it is now, but the user base was still made up of people he didn't know who trusted him with their information.
Mr. Zuckerberg likely didn't realize the responsibility that he had been shouldered with when launching the site out of his dorm room. However, whether you realize the kind of information you've just agreed to protect or not, that Mark Zuckerberg is the kind of person who would offer email addresses and photos to a friend sets off alarm bells straight away.
