Mark Zuckerberg
Credit: Politico

Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg responded to press reports about the NSA’s spying tool PRISM with outrage, saying the social media conglomerate had no knowledge of the program before Friday and that his company never granted the US government direct access to its servers.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg wrote:

 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.