POSTED BY Stephanie Surette
On Wednesday, March 12, Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook founder) called President Obama to express his frustration with the NSA’s surveillance. The controversy around the NSA’s spying has been widely covered in the news since Edward Snowden released data in 2013 revealing the extent of the government agency’s electronic surveillance. So why did Zuckberg call now?
A report from The Intercept revealed some new details about the NSA’s past to “covertly hack into computers on a mass scale.” Originally, the NSA used this technology to gain information from targets where a traditional wiretap was not feasible for one reason or another. The NSA has allegedly accelerated this program and it can now be conducted on a mass scale as some aspects can now be done by a computer that were previously handled by a person.
The below except from The Intercept explains the NSA’s methods to “hack” into individual computers:
In some cases the NSA has masqueraded as a fake Facebook server, using the social media site as a launching pad to infect a target’s computer and exfiltrate files from a hard drive. In others, it has sent out spam emails laced with the malware, which can be tailored to covertly record audio from a computer’s microphone and take snapshots with its webcam. The hacking systems have also enabled the NSA to launch cyberattacks by corrupting and disrupting file downloads or denying access to websites.
Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook the day after his conversation with the President: “When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we’re protecting you against criminals, not our own government.” The White House confirmed that President Obama spoke with Zuckerberg, but did not provide details about their conversation.
The allegation that Facebook’s servers are being imitated by the NSA is a serious concern to the private company. Unfortunately, this is not the only recent example of private U.S. technology companies becoming tied up in the NSA scandal. This USA Today article highlights issues that U.S. technology companies are facing selling to foreign consumers because they allegedly turned over information to the NSA. Technology companies, and not just private citizens, have now become entangled in the NSA scandal.
