Sen. Durbin Asks Facebook CEO Zuckerberg If He Would Be Comfortable Providing the Name of the Hotel He Stayed in Last Night in Brilliant Privacy Question (VIDEO)

I HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE … DEMOCRAT SENATOR DURBIN NAILED ZUCKERBERG AND PROVIDED BRILLIANT CONTEXT TO THE FACEBOOK PRIVACY DILEMMA.

During yesterday’s Facebook hearing before a joint Senate committee, Democrat Senator Dick Durbin asked a very interesting set of questions that drew laughs but were at the heart of the user information sharing problem that Facebook faces. Durbin asked whether Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg would be comfortable in sharing the name of the hotel he stayed in last night. Or whether he would tell us who he privately messaged this week online. Zuckerberg responded with a no on both questions. Then Durbin nailed him with the zinger, “I think that might be what this is all about, your right to privacy, the limits of your right to privacy and how much you give away.”

“Mr. Zuckerberg, would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you stayed in last night?” Durbin asked at the joint session of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees.

Zuckerberg did not answer right away. After the awkward pause, Zuckerberg said, “Uh … no.”

The hearing room erupted in laughter and Zuckerberg himself smiled as if he, too, realized how Durbin just nailed him.

Durbin, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee continued, “If you have messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you’ve messaged?

Zuckerberg replied, “Senator, no, I would probably not choose to do that publicly here.”

Said Durbin, “I think that might be what this is all about, your right to privacy, the limits of your right to privacy and how much you give away in modern America in the name of quote connecting people around the world.”