Mace attacks and demands to see Zuckerberg: Facebook 911 logs reveal the security challenges for Silicon Valley companies

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Protesters hold signs during a demonstration outside of Facebook headquarters on April 5, 2018 in Menlo Park, California.

• 911 calls were made from Facebook's headquarters in California roughly once every two days over the last year.
• Business Insider has obtained the logs for the calls, which reveal the security and emergency issues the social networking giant faces on a daily basis.
• The company's security team battles with suspicious people harassing its employees, and in one incident, a Facebook security officer was sprayed with in the face with mace.
• 911 was called four times in the space in a single month for mental evaluations, and there were more than 90 medical emergencies throughout the year.

SAN FRANCISCO - On the morning of January 31, 2017, a 37-year-old man arrived at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, and demanded to speak to Mark Zuckerberg.

The visitor, who was not a Facebook employee, refused requests to leave the tech company's campus - prompting Facebook employees to call 911. Eight police officers arrived, but the man remained steadfast, ignoring their orders as he insisted he meet the Facebook CEO - and went on to try and seize a police officer's equipment, according to police records. He was subsequently found to have active warrants out for his arrest.

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In another incident, on March 25, 2017, a man turned up at the Facebook campus' main entrance, saying he had been scammed after being told he had "won the Facebook lottery." Only after staff called 911 and two cops arrived did he ultimately leave.

On a third occasion, on August 18, 2017, an unidentified assailant sprayed mace in a Facebook security officer's face, then fled the scene in a vehicle before Menlo Park police could apprehend them.

These incidents, recorded in the logs of 911 emergency calls made from Facebook's Menlo Park campus between January 10, 2017 and March 28, 2018, provide a snapshot of the security issues that happen at the headquarters of one of the world's most valuable and recognizable corporations on any given day.

The 239 emergency calls made during the 14-month period - roughly one every two days - range from garden-variety workplace incidents to encounters with potentially dangerous individuals purposefully drawn to Facebook's offices. The incidents highlight the challenges tech companies face as they try to balance Silicon Valley's tradition of open, university-like campuses and casual culture with the security demands that come with offering services used by hundreds of millions - even billions- of people.

The concern is especially acute after a deadly shooting at YouTube's headquarters earlier this year. At the start of April, a YouTube user arrived at the Google-owned video company's campus and opened fire, wounding three staffers before turning the gun on herself.

The YouTube incident appears to be an isolated case, but some say it could cause tech companies to rethink their approach to security. Although the roughly 14,000 Facebook employees at the campus work in buildings that require special keycards to access, the buildings are surrounded by open space and parking lots accessible to the public. The famous Facebook thumbs-up "Like" sign at the campus entrance is a magnet for tourists and visitors who are often seen being photographed alongside it. Google and some other tech companies have campuses that are even more open to the public.

In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said: "The safety of our employees is paramount, and we work hard every day to maintain a safe and secure environment for our community." They declined to answer questions about specific incidents.

Samantha Lee/Business Insider

The majority of the calls during the 14-month period came during regular working hours.

Mental evaluations and medical emergencies

Around June 2017, there was a sudden surge in 911 calls requesting mental evaluations from Facebook's campus.

In the space of a little over a month, there were calls for a "mental evaluation" of unidentified individuals on four occassions, with the subjects subsequently transported to a hospital in at least three of those. Outside of that one period - between the start of June and early July 2017 - there are no other records of 911 calls for mental evaluations in the logs for the year.

It's not clear whether the people evaluated were Facebook employees, though the logs give no indication otherwise.

Of the calls, 91 (not including the four mental evaluations) were medical emergencies. On August 2, 2017, a 24-year-old woman had difficulty breathing. On October 19, 2017, someone sprained their ankle and 911 was called. On March 8, 2018, a "call came in of a female that could not walk."

There were eight calls involving suspicious persons or vehicles bothering or harassing Facebook employees.

A white van was reported being driven recklessly on campus on March 31, 2017, though police officers couldn't ultimately locate it. Someone "upset over Facebook account issues" turned up at Facebook's campus on May 15, 2017, and then after being asked to leave was found in a nearby Starbucks. "Subject was advised to stay away from campus and not return," the records note.

There are also repeat offenders. On August 11, 2017, at just after 7:30 a.m., 911 was called over "a subject that frequently comes on the campus and refuses to leave." The unidentified person "does not have any complaints or does not demand to see anyone," the logs say, "but continually causes a scene."

The subject was driven to a nearby fast-food restaurant, Jack in the Box, and warned not to return - but he arrived back on campus that very same day, a little before 1 p.m., prompting another 911 call, an escort off the campus, and an admonishment.

Google Maps

The location of Facebook's headquarters, at 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California.

Mace, fires, and car crashes

The incident in which a man maced a security officer was the most severe, and the only of the 200-plus 911 calls classified as an assault.

Two officers "were dispatched to the location for a subject that just maced a Facebook security officer in the face. The security officer refused medical services and the subject fled in a vehicle," the records say. "Officers did an area check for the subject with the limited information they were provided and were unable to locate them." The assailant's identity and motivation is unclear.

Among other suspicious incidents, on October 11, 2017, someone turned up outside Building 10 and refused to leave, then got in their vehicle and started driving around campus. "Officers located the vehicle and the subject and advised them they were not welcome on the Facebook campus," logs say. On February 9, 2018, an "unknown subject" bothered a Facebook employee in a parking lot, leaving only when they called the police.

The logs also contain an unsurprising selection of common workplace incidents, including parking lot fender benders, a "small fire" coming from a BBQ shack on campus and two people arguing over a "non-injury accident." On April 29, 2017, a non-Facebook employee was reported to the police for riding one of the company's branded campus bicycles in a nearby neighbourhood.

Almost exactly half of the calls - 120 - were accidental: Pocket dials, immediate hang-ups, and so on.

Steve Jennings/Getty Images for Little Kids Rock

Bands performing at a family event at Facebook HQ on May 16, 2015 in Menlo Park, California.

Facebook isn't unique

These kind of incidents and emergencies are not unique to Facebook: An examination of any major company would likely return similar results. But the challenges Facebook faces, as a incredibly high-profile company with 2 billion users worldwide, are particularly acute.

While the details of some of the security incidents are unclear, others are clearly directly linked to the company's work - like the aggrieved person with account issues, or the man who visited the campus to speak to Mark Zuckerberg.

Employees at other tech companies have also experienced harassment from their userbases. Business Insider previously reported that YouTube employees have been receiving violent threats from video "creators" for years, and that they would sometimes camp outside the company offices for hours in attempts to talk to YouTube employees about product changes.

Facebook is now in the process of building a new campus in Menlo Park. it will integrate significantly more with the local community, featuring retail spots, housing, and public-park-style areas. The intention is to "invest" in the local area - but the increased openness means the challenges the company faces may only increase.

Do you work for Facebook? Can you shed more light on any of the incidents? Contact the author at rprice@businessinsider.com, via Twitter DM at @robaeprice, or via Signal at (650) 636-6268. Anonymity guaranteed.