Facebook CEO Called Trusting Users ''Dumb F***s''

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Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, offered a friend access to users' email addresses, photos and screen names.

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.

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.

Read more on BI.

Jane McEntegart

Jane McEntegart works in marketing communications at Intel and was previously Manager of Content Marketing at ASUS North America. Before that, she worked for more than seven years at Tom's Guide and Tom's Hardware, holding such roles as Contributing Editor and Senior News Editor and writing about everything from smartphones to tablets and games consoles.

96 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Teen Geek
    People who give out their identity online ARE "dumb f**ks"
    Reply
  • flaminggerbil
    Cant wait until people start suing him.
    Reply
  • isamuelson
    Might be time to finally remove my account. What a tool.
    Reply
  • Strider-Hiryu_79
    I've never used facebook but I feel sorry for the people that relied on facebook and it's services and have made it a part of their habitual daily/weekly/monthly routines only to be let down and betrayed by such a douche.
    Reply
  • GeoMan
    Well people giving out their private details to strangers are ''Dumb F***s''

    Didn't their parents teach them not to talk to strangers?
    Reply
  • HAHAHAH epic, i always knew to stay away from social networking sites... Just confirms that i was right.
    Reply
  • I've been holding off the deletion of my facebook for a while now. Time to stop procrastinating.
    Reply
  • visa
    flaminggerbilCant wait until people start suing him.
    Suing him for what? This is a free site. This is what I don't understand about people when they bitch and moan about Facebook privacy. You don't pay anything for it and it's not something you have to have.

    I have a Facebook account but I sure as hell don't post anything inappropriate. Just don't put private information on the site and you'll be fine.
    Reply
  • Hydrotricithline
    Atleast we see it :) lets face it, disclaimer or not, anyone that posts anything personal online (omitting maybe government/medical) info, should pretty much consider it public domain, including passwords. All the promises in the world won't protect the public, they have to protect themselves, don't be a 'Dumb Fu*k' :P ps. Ouch.
    Reply
  • chripuck
    Some of you people are idiots? "People giving out their private details to strangers are Dumb F***s?" Do you not bank online? Buy goods online? Order pizza online? All of that is giving out personal info to "some stranger."

    I'm not defending facebook in any manner, but come on, don't be a moron.
    Reply