The NSA knows every Facebook professional? No, says Facebook and wants to assign a transparency report. But leaves many questions unanswered.
Now that the cooperation with the U.S. NSA went through the media, the image of Internet companies like Facebook, Microsoft and Google is battered. With a transparency initiative Facebook now wants to regain lost confidence.
Transparency report with little substance
As a first step presents the social network to report on its cooperation with police authorities in different countries. It shows that not only the American intelligence service has access to Facebook data, but also monitor the authorities of other countries citizens in their social networks.Otherwise, the report leaves many questions unanswered. "Facebook Special: All the important news about the Social Network
Germany sniffing with
The Report identifies on which country how many inquiries from government authorities received after user data and how many of them there has been Facebook. The clear winner is the U.S., but also Germany spies on its citizens on the Internet frequently, and ranks behind with 1,886 requests in fourth place. After all: thanks to the comparatively strict German data protection laws allow Facebook to the German authorities for 37 percent of all access requests - U.S. authorities with a clear 79 percent higher "success rate". »To the original document: Facebook's transparency report
It's about national security
A majority of the questions relates to Facebook, according to offenses such as robbery and kidnapping, of course, it's also about national security. Facebook insisted in an interview with COMPUTERBILD that each of the approximately 30,000 worldwide inquiries will individually scrutinized. In addition, Facebook will give in many cases only general information on, about the username. So all so bad? No, Facebook finally opens the authorities often complete accounts including friends lists, photos and spatial data - a paradise for investigators. How many Facebook granted such detailed insights, does not reveal the social network. In addition, users are not informed of the queries, and that violates German privacy law.
The whole truth?
Whether the report discloses all intelligence activities in the social network, ie, remains in doubt.Especially as Facebook decides to issue the user data on the legal situation of the country which made the request. The Snowden revelations show that not even keep U.S. intelligence to these minimum standards and easily hack Facebook accounts themselves - so if a U.S. agency requesting records German users, the holey U.S. data protection law applies. All: "NSA scandal Facts at a Glance.
Provide intelligence to cross
Articles such as Facebook are a step in the right direction. True transparency although they would need to go into more detail. But the secret to play with. Facebook boss Zuckerberg therefore expressed harsh criticism of the NSA. Yahoo boss Marissa Mayer gave the same tune: "If you do not you add yourself, it's treason."
