Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his company are suddenly facing a big new round of scrutiny and criticism about their cavalier attitude toward user privacy. An early instant messenger exchange Mark had with a college friend won’t help put these concerns to rest. According to SAI sources, the following exchange is between a 19-year-old Mark Zuckerberg and a friend shortly after Mark launched The Facebook in his dorm room:

Zuck: Yeah so if you ever need info about anyone at Harvard

Zuck: 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.

Brutal.

Could Mark have been completely joking? Sure. But the exchange does reveal that Facebook’s aggressive attitude toward privacy may have begun early on.

Since Facebook launched, the company has faced one privacy flap after another, usually following changes to the privacy policy or new product releases. To its credit, the company has often modified its products based on such feedback. As the pioneer in a huge new market, Facebook will take heat for everything it does. It has also now grown into a $22 billion company run by adults who know that their future depends on Facebook users trusting the site’s privacy policy.

Facebook declined to comment about Mark’s attitude toward privacy.




  1. amodedoma says:

    It’s true, isn’t it? Anybody that thinks that information posted on a social networking server is private. Is a ‘dumb f**k’, and a total fricken retard to boot.

  2. gquaglia says:

    Zuckerberg stikes me as a bit of douche. He has that kind of face that you just want to punch.

  3. Father says:

    Facebook is a $22B company TODAY. Who knows what it will be worth next week, next month, next year?

    MySpace is no longer my space.

  4. Mondays News says:

    I am what I am.

  5. TThor says:

    I just finished the audiobook “The Accidental Billionaires” by Ben Mezrich – the story about Facebook. I can tell you, not a nice story. If you believe the book, Mark Zuckerberg is a programming genius that is nothing less than a thief and manipulating douchebag. The guy is portrayed as an autistic psychopath with a burning desire for self realization…
    On the other side, it is always popular to attack a successful outsider that has accomplished the unbelievable; early 20-ies and a billionaire. Not bad.
    Who knows what the real story is? It is however a bit peculiar how the concerted attacks suddenly occur. Makes me suspicious. Looks like someone has an agenda, somewhere.

  6. Mike says:

    Let me get this straight. You don’t trust Zuckerberg, but you do completely trust Dvorak to actually provide a quote from a real dialog that occurred several years ago? Did this dialog actually happen, or did someone just make it up and send it to Dvorak?

    Second, you’re providing a quote provided by someone in his first year of college. When was the last time you voted for a candidate for President of the United States of America that was 19 years old?

    Oh, of course, the kid is now only 26, it isn’t that old a quote, and now that the company is now worth billions, of course you whip out this juicy quote that demonstrates his current attitude about his customer’s privacy.

  7. BubbaRay says:

    It’s boneheads like this that give entrepreneurs a really bad name. We can only hope someone hacks his financials and breaks his banks. If only.

  8. ray says:

    This is exactly why I don’t have myspace or facebook.

  9. sam says:

    As Dr. William Luther Pierce said many times. Jews are clever people very clever people.

  10. Urotsukidoji says:

    How did Jason Calacanis say it on the most recent TWiT episode? We got Zuckerpunched. That was awesome.

  11. BubbaRay says:

    I hope he remembers that what goes around comes around. In his case, I hope very soon now…

  12. Hmeyers says:

    Social fads come and go. Show me one that stayed? Facebook reminds me of AOL.

    What would be funny would be if Facebook bought a large company like how AOL bought Time Warner.

  13. jescott418 says:

    That’s the trouble with Wall Street these days. The younger people have no moral values. Their out for themselves and will take any risk necessary to achieve that goal. Zucker is no different, he feels that if people are dumb enough to give him this information then you do not deserve any protection. if he can use your information to better himself then it sucks to be you.

  14. Dirk Thundernuts says:

    He looks like a dumb fuck!

  15. clancys_daddy says:

    #6 so it was a rewrite of the biographies of bill gates and steve jobs.

  16. Father says:

    Build your own new network, and take away Zuckerb’s billions. Hire his people when his ship starts sinking, and then look down on him from on high.

  17. Esteban says:

    #12: Not the first time I’ve read this term, but I love it anyway:

    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=zuckerpunch

  18. bbommarito says:

    Did anyone not forsee this?

    Most companies that suddenly start to do well become just damn evil. Facebook is valued 22 bilion because they have everyone’s information. The more information they pull in, the more money they suddenly gain.

    As several have said, this is why I do not have a facebook account. Almost anything you post, no matter how mundane can be used to convict you of a crime, especially in the police state that the US is slowly becoming.

  19. Mark Zuckerberg says:

    Took you guys long enough…

  20. The0ne says:

    I love America! So many fools to get rich of! If only I had the instinct! IF ONLY!!!

  21. Rich says:

    Don’t trust anyone named Sugartown.

  22. Breetai says:

    #6

    If you keep checking into it you’ll pretty much find that every billionaire is a douche bag. It’s part of the mentality needed to accumulate that kind of wealth. Basically you need to have the moral equivalent attitude of thinking of humans as cattle to be herded and slaughtered for your benefit. The other half is the salesman skills which of course covers up their real beliefs.

  23. Low Key says:

    That’s why I use an alias on Facebook. Then there’s my dogs Facebook page…

  24. Ben_Franklinov says:

    Great way for the government to collect info on its citizens – create some ridiculous website where they VOLUNTARILY post all their private info and connections. Zuckerberg is right about the dumb f*cks, but what does that make him…a smart f*ck?

  25. IF such is the attitude of facebook towards our privacy and the invasion it wants to do in privacy of everyone in the world who uses facebook, then this attack on facebook of criticism is right and it should be boycotted right away


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