The internet has declared war on Facebook. The Cambridge Analytica scandal, the recording of personal calls through the mobile app, and the poor reaction from CEO Mark Zuckerberg have created a "critical mass" within the social network that essentially puts its future in check, and the natural decision for some users is none other than to abandon the platform. Of course, Facebook doesn't make it easy at all, but the option to delete accounts is still there, and today it will receive a visit.
When the former vice president of "user growth" at Facebook Chamath Palihapitiya spoke about "feeling guilty" after having participated in the development of the social network, he probably referred to this. Tesla, SpaceX, Playboy, famous people... the "Facebook exodus" is in process. The platform's reputation is at its lowest point, and the whole world expected a change of direction to deepen damage control, but instead received confirmation that Facebook has a leader weaker than he appears, and incapable of responding to a crisis with determination.
The feeling is that Facebook will only avoid the abyss with a radical change, which could be divided into four parts: effective and immediate suspension of data collection across its entire structure (including links with external apps), prioritization of the international market (it is doubtful that Facebook will win back the hearts of the American public in the short or medium term), the resignation of Mark Zuckerberg (he owns only 28.2 percent of the shares), and the installation of a massive and automated purge system for personal information that extends to posts, notes, messages, images, and videos. Since none of that is going to happen, the alternative is obvious: have users leave Facebook.
Steps to Delete Your Facebook Account
Now, some will seek to question the real number of users who will abandon the social network; however, our goal is to present a step-by-step guide to solidify the deletion process, because we already know well that clicking on the official options is not enough:
- Change your password. Many applications and services depend on a traditional Facebook login, and you need to avoid that, or otherwise it will be recorded as activity, and deletion could be suspended.
- Delete all links with applications, games, and websites. Next, disable the application platform and clear any logged-in sessions. This is found in "Settings - Apps".
- Go to "Settings - Security and Login", and end all open sessions through your devices. There may be dozens of entries here. Patience.
- Download a copy of your information (at the end of the day, you own it). The option is within the "General" section, at the bottom of the screen. Facebook will ask you to enter your password twice, once to confirm file creation, and once for the download. Generating the file takes about 15 minutes on average.
- Deactivating is not deleting. If you prefer to take distance for a while and reactivate your account later instead of implementing "the diplomacy of Lieutenant Ripley", go to "Settings - Manage Account". People won't be able to search for you or see your timeline, but some messages will still be available, as will the core of your information.
- If you really want to delete your account, click here. Facebook may take up to 90 days to purge data from its servers, but some isolated remnants will remain intact anyway. The social network will send messages and invitation emails to return. Do NOT do it, and also don't use your Facebook credentials on other portals.
The last step is not pleasant: give up WhatsApp and Instagram. Let's not forget that both services are owned by Facebook, and it makes no sense to abandon the social network when we are handing over information to the same company through other means. And what about scripts that automate deletion? Most of them simply don't work, ignore content, or were blocked by Facebook (if you know one that works well, share it!). The most effective route is to do a "lockdown" of the account, request deletion, and wait the three months. Good luck.
