Facebook Hires Yahoo's Chief Security Executive

Alex Stamos starts his new job as the company’s chief security officer

• By Matt Holden
• Jun 25, 2015

Facebook has just taken a new step in protecting its users’ data by hiring Alex Stamos, formerly the chief information security officer of Yahoo.

"The Internet has been an incredible force for connecting the world and giving individuals access to personal, educational and economic opportunities that are unprecedented in human history," Stamos said in a Facebook post. "These benefits are not without risk, and it is the responsibility of our industry to build the safest, most trustworthy products possible."

Stamos has been outspoken about protecting users from security threats, including governments. He challenged the NSA this year over proposals that would make tech companies build into their products ways for law-enforcement and intelligence agencies to access secured communications.

Stamos also introduced a Yahoo Mail plugin that would encrypt e-mails so only the sender and receiver could see the contents of the message.

Colin Stretch, Facebook's vice president and general counsel, said that Stamos “is a leader with deep technical security knowledge and experience. We’re thrilled that he is joining Facebook as our new Chief Security Officer to help us create even greater impact."