Facebook has successfully integrated itself into our lives, whether we like it or not. For over a decade, most of us have trusted this social media platform with our personal information. But, just like what happened with Equifax’s data breach, it’s not as secure as we thought. By violating Facebook’s terms of service, a data mining firm has obtained over 50 million users’ data without their consent. Millions of social media of social media users are now calling to #DeleteFacebook.
Facebook’s Role In The Latest Privacy Scandal
Following the 2016 election, Facebook received criticism regarding fake news articles that were rampant across the site. These fraudulent posts and ads may have played a role in influencing final voter decisions. Currently, the U.S. government is conducting an ongoing investigation regarding Russian-bought ads that were intended to influence American users.
It has recently surfaced that Facebook’s connection to the 2016 election goes much deeper. Cambridge Analytica, a UK-based consulting and dating mining firm, deceptively collected data from millions of Facebook users. What makes this particularly troubling is that the firm was tied to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. In support of Trump, Cambridge Analytica used the information they obtained from Facebook to analyze individual user data, create connections using their friends lists, and then target political ads to them.
The scandal is making people rethink whether they want to continue using Facebook or not.
While Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook, has apologized for how his company handled the situation, there’s no solid guarantee that the data obtained by Cambridge Analytica has been thoroughly deleted. The firm claims that it has, yet recent Facebook reports suggest that some of it is still out there. Zuckerberg has stated that affected users will be notified.
What Is #DeleteFacebook?
The Guardian, The Observer, and The New York Times were the first media outlets to report Cambridge Analytica’s misuse of Facebook users’ data. Once the news broke, the hashtag “#DeleteFacebook” began trending on Twitter and other prominent websites. In the interest of protecting their personal information, as well as that of their loved ones, Facebook users created this movement to delete their accounts from the social media platform. They’re outraged and more conscious than ever of how companies profit from their data.
Is It Possible To Completely Delete Facebook?
It’s undeniable that Facebook is a huge presence in most of our lives.
In the wake of #DeleteFacebook, you may immediately want to stop using the website entirely. Even the co-founder of WhatsApp, the popular messenger app bought by Facebook in 2014, has suggested that users delete their accounts. Before you do, though, consider the changes Facebook will implement as a result of this incident.
How Facebook Plans To Create A More Secure User Experience
Mark Zuckerberg has expressed that he supports government regulation of Facebook, but even he’s not sure what would be the best course of action. However, he is committed to expanding Facebook’s security and communications staff, from 15,000 to over 20,000 employees. In addition, the social media network will be making 15 new changes to its platform to create more data restrictions. When it comes down to it, though, this isn’t just about Facebook. The tech industry as a whole needs to rethink how it stores and uses sensitive data.
What To Do If You Want To Delete Your Facebook Account
Be wary of what you share on social networks.
It’s not as simple as just deactivating or permanently deleting your account. Because Facebook has dominated the social world for over a decade, it’s difficult for users to untangle themselves from it. For most of them, the social media network is how they interact with friends, family, and other loved ones on a daily basis. Instead of deleting your account, you might want to adjust your privacy settings and remove personal information from your profile. But if you still want to cut Facebook out of your life, here’s what you have to do.
- Disconnect Facebook from your other accounts, such as Spotify, Twitter, and Hulu.
- Delete Instagram and WhatsApp, two other popular social media apps that Facebook owns.
- Choose whether you’d like to deactivate your Facebook account temporarily or permanently.
- Uninstall Facebook, along with Messenger, from all of your devices.
- Clear your browser history and cookies frequently.
- Access the internet using incognito mode or private browsing.
- Use Kiwi Searches the next time you need to find information on someone.
Even if Facebook wasn’t hacked, per se, this is definitely one of the social media site’s biggest data breaches. While the website appears to connect people on the surface, it profits from these connections and the information that comes with them. Hopefully, going forward, companies will take notice and create more preventive measures to protect their customers.
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