The #DeleteFacebook Movement Is Growing

Facebook has previously weathered controversies regarding user privacy and how it handles our data, but something seems different this time. The massive scandal surrounding data firm Cambridge Analytica and its acquisition of data from up to 50 million users has crossed over into mainstream news unlike anything prior, and there’s a movement growing online encouraging users to “#DeleteFacebook” — and some of the people joining the movement are surprising.

Perhaps one of the most shocking people to jump on #DeleteFacebook was WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton, who sold his company to Facebook for $19 billion in 2014. He called for users to take the dramatic action with a short tweet that read “It is time. #deletefacebook”.  

There has also been a surge of interest in users looking to learn what they can do to either protect their information better or get rid of their presence on the site entirely. It seems as though many people are just beginning the realize the full amount of their private info Facebook possesses.

“Ultimately you’ve created the largest dossier on yourself and you’ve done it freely, even gleefully,” TechCrunch writer John Biggs wrote in an editorial. “This dossier reflects your likes, your dislikes, your feelings, and political leanings. It includes clear pictures of your face from all angles, images of your pets and family, and details your travels. You are giving the world unfettered access to your life.”

Of course, it’s pretty hard to get rid of Facebook entirely and still maintain a modern social life. But the simple fact that people are interested in doing so shows how far the platform has fallen in terms of public trust.