Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, whose social media site collects personal information from more than a billion everyday, has turned out to be a bit paranoid about his privacy.
This 32-year-old billionaire put up a photograph of his office desk on Facebook. His status update posted with the photograph is interesting: "More than 500 million people now use Instagram every month - and 300 million every day. The Instagram community has more than doubled over the past two years. This is a tribute to Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger's vision, and to people everywhere who have opened a window into their world - from big events to everyday moments. Thanks for making Instagram such a beautiful place," Zuckerberg wrote.
However, the irony is that in spite of the grand statement about a global community, his photograph shows his laptop's camera and audio jack both covered with adhesive tapes---obviously to prevent hackers from entering his territory!
The image is a giveaway of his inner emotional make-up. Twitter user Chris Olson said that the camera as well as the audio jack of his Macbook are taped.
"When I first saw the photo I quickly noticed tape covering the camera," Olson told the Huffington Post. "I've actually seen this technique used a decent amount of times and knew it was used as the last line of defence for someone hacking your camera."
Olson's issue seems to be that if such a "big boss of a world-class technology company applies the low-tech technique," then why shouldn't Olson do it too?
There is no doubt that the laptop shown in the photograph was Zuckerberg's. In a Facebook live video he posted in September, he pointed out his exact office location and desk.
It is common knowledge that webcams and the mic can be hacked, without the owner even knowing anything about it. Malware can access the camera, disable the LED light and prevent the owner from taking control. "Even the FBI has hacked into people's computers to access their webcams for surveillance," explains Mashable.
Do you think, then, that Zuckerberg was wrong in protecting his privacy?
