Image by getty images

By Ari Feldman April 6, 2018

Facebook deleted Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook messages to other Facebook users from their chat history, Tech Crunch reported.

Normally, you can’t delete messages you’ve already sent to other Facebook users. But Facebook deleted Zuckerberg’s messages, so that users’ chat history with Zuckerberg shows just one side of the conversation. Facebook said it changed Zuckerberg’s Messenger settings in response the Sony email hacking in 2014, along with other changes.

“These [changes] included limiting the retention period for Mark’s messages in Messenger,” Facebook said in a statement to Tech Crunch. “We did so in full compliance with our legal obligations to preserve messages.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Zuckerberg declined to comment directly.

Facebook never publicly announced the change to Zuckerberg’s Messenger settings, and its unclear when the change went into effect. The messages of Facebook users who are not executives of Facebook apparently do not expire.

Sources told Tech Crunch that recent messages from Zuckerberg are still visible, as are some messages from before 2014.

It is possible that Facebook moved to delete potentially embarrassing comments. In 2010, Business Insider published a chat log between Zuckerberg and a friend. In the messages, Zuckerberg calls early Facebook users “dumb fucks” for trusting him and putting their personal information in their Facebook profile.

Facebook Messenger as 1.3 billion users worldwide.

Contact Ari Feldman at feldman@forward.com or on Twitter @aefeldman

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount