Is it really the time to bid goodbye to Facebook and delete it forever? Well according to Whatsapp Co-Founder Brian Acton, it is!
It is time. #deletefacebook
— Brian Acton (@brianacton) March 20, 2018
Facebook is recently seen to be involved in the Cambridge Analytica data leaks revelation. It is revealed that data leaked was involved in creating political campaigns to help Donald Trump win the presidential election in the US by manipulating voters’ behavior. Facebook is being criticized a lot over how the data of nearly 50 million users got leaked. No doubt the hashtag #deletefacebook is trending so much over social media and reportedly many users have already left the platform. But the question is, is our data actually safe with Facebook?
Well, digital data is never safe. Hackers are working tirelessly to breach into the world’s most secure servers and steal as much as possible. But that doesn’t mean you should stop using the internet.
How did the data got leaked?
In 2015, a psychology professor at the University of Cambridge named Dr. Aleksandr Kogan collected data from millions of US-based users through a Facebook app (Remember all those quizzes you used to play on Facebook). Facebook alleges the professor passed the data to a firm named Cambridge Analytica which deals in political, government, and military work around the globe. He also distributed the data to a few other firms. But the thing involved is what Facebook is doing to secure our data.
The stock price of Facebook is seen to be plummeting since the data leak news broke in. Facebook suffered from a loss of $5 billion in a couple of hours on Monday. Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seen strategically selling stocks and saving millions of dollars for himself and his company.
How to delete the Facebook account?
First, you should know whether you want to deactivate your account or permanently delete your account. If you deactivate your Facebook account, you can reopen it after a while by entering your login credentials. But if you delete your Facebook account, there is no undo button. It’s gone forever. However, it takes around 90 days for your data to be permanently deleted from the Facebook servers. In the meantime, this data is inaccessible on Facebook.
How to deactivate your Facebook account?
- Go to Account Settings
- Then click on settings and privacy
- Move to the privacy section in the left panel
- Click on ‘Your Facebook Information’ section
- Scroll down to deactivation and deletion.
- Follow the instruction to deactivate your account.
- Enter your password and confirm the action.
That’s it! You deactivated your account successfully. All of your Facebook data will be hidden from the public. However, you can regain access to your account anytime you want to.
How to permanently delete a Facebook account?
- Go to the top right corner and click the down arrow button
- Go to settings & privacy and click on settings.
- After that, go to privacy in the left panel.
- Next, click on ‘Your Facebook Information’.
- Scroll down to deactivation and deletion.
- Follow the instruction if you want to deactivate or delete your Facebook account.
- Enter your password and confirm the action.
If you want to delete your Facebook account, follow this link
Mentioning again, once you delete your Facebook account there is no going back!
Should you delete your account: My opinion
There were days when Facebook was screaming on the nerves of people. People just couldn’t isolate themselves from uploading their activity on Facebook. Whether it’s eating in their favorite restaurant or watching their favorite movie, everything used to go on their Facebook timeline. There are so many memories we all uploaded on Facebook in the past years. But ask yourself, can you risk your data for the sake of digital social interaction?
In my opinion, you don’t have to. Why you should delete your account when you can use it smartly and wisely? You just have to learn what data is worth sharing and what is not. Now you know that nothing online is safe so just put your preferences in order.
- Always keep your account secure by taking appropriate security measures.
- Always use strong passwords while setting up your online accounts.
- Only link your account with trusted third-party apps.
- Do not allow any fishy quiz to gain access to your account by providing them with your login credentials or other account information for just the sake of fun.
It is meant to connect you with your loved and dear ones. You can do all the fun by taking appropriate precautions.
