Hey, Mr. President! Zuck calls Obama to complain about NSA spying

Mark Zuckerberg
Zuckerberg speaking at last month's MWC

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is pissed. Or at least he's "confused and frustrated," and it's not because of our hate for the news feed's previous redesign.

The Zuck took to ... you know ... to express anger over what he views as damage done and threats posed to the internet by the US government's spying programs. But he didn't stop there.

"I've called President Obama to express my frustration over the damage the government is creating for all of our future," he wrote.

The conversation may not have gone very well: "Unfortunately, it seems it will take a very long time for true reform."

Zuck's solution

A strong, trusted and secure internet is essential to helping people connect, learn and express themselves, Zuckerberg reasoned.

Facebook works to ensure security through encryption, secure traffic protocols and authentication processes, he continued, and other companies and individuals follow similar guidelines.

The government, namely the NSA, has eroded and threatened those efforts. What's more, it's bred distrust among the public.

"The US government should be a champion for the internet, not a threat," Zuckerberg wrote near the end of his missive. "They need to be much more transparent about what they're doing, or otherwise people will believe the worst."

Zuckerberg's note comes one day after a report revealed the NSA posed as Facebook servers to gather information. The NSA has since denied doing so.

While it may be a while before the government makes the changes Zuckerberg called for, he concluded that we the people can take matters into our own hands.

"So it's up to us - all of us - to build the internet we want," he wrote. "Together, we can build a space that is greater and a more important part of the world than anything we have today, but is also safe and secure.

"I'm committed to seeing this happen, and you can count on Facebook to do our part."

Michelle Fitzsimmons

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook.  A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.