Zuckerberg voices frustration with Obama over NSA

[Saifullah Sani]

NEW YORK — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he has called President Obama to express frustration over what he says is long-lasting damage caused by the government’s surveillance programs.

Posting on his Facebook page Thursday, Zuckerberg wrote that he’s been ‘‘confused and frustrated by the repeated reports of the behavior of the US government. When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we’re protecting you against criminals, not our own government.’’

Zuckerberg does not name the National Security Agency, but the post comes a day after the news site Intercept said the NSA impersonated a Facebook server to infect surveillance targets’ computers and get files from a hard drive. The report is based on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

The NSA called the report ‘‘inaccurate.’’

‘‘NSA uses its technical capabilities only to support lawful and appropriate foreign intelligence operations, all of which must be carried out in strict accordance with its authorities,’’ it said.

In his post, Zuckerberg called on the government to be more transparent, but added that, unfortunately, ‘‘it seems like it will take a very long time for true full reform.’’

In January, Obama ordered changes in mass surveillance programs. Tech companies took his speech as a step in the right direction, but said more is needed to protect people’s privacy — along with the interests of US companies worried that people, especially overseas, won’t trust them with personal information.

Zuckerberg voices frustration with Obama over NSA - Business - The Boston Globe