Are you thinking of deleting your Facebook account? Many users are these days, and for good reason. Recent revelations about the social media giant housing user data and selling it to third parties have left many users feeling betrayed. It’s not uncommon to hear stories of people ending their relationship with Facebook in response, but keep reading to find out how to permanently delete your account instead of deactivating it. This article will help you understand why you may want to delete your Facebook account and the implications of doing so. You’ll also learn exactly how to delete your Facebook account forever and remove yourself from their database permanently, as well as other ways to reduce the visibility of your profile so that it is no longer searchable or visible to others unless they directly search for you personally.
What is deactivation and why is it not the same as deleting your account?
Deactivation is when you choose not to use Facebook for a period of time, such as when you’re on vacation, or want to put your profile on hold for another reason. When you deactivate your account, your data remains on Facebook’s servers and is accessible by others, as well as you. It’s a relatively painless process to deactivate your account, but it also doesn’t provide the same level of security and protection as permanently deleting your account does. Facebook does not guarantee that your data is deleted if you deactivate your account, and it’s entirely possible that it will remain on their servers indefinitely. While deactivation can be useful in some situations, it’s not a good alternative to deleting your account; if you’re serious about protecting your privacy, you should go all the way and delete your account permanently instead.
Things to know before you delete your Facebook account
- Your friends and family will likely notice that you’re gone, depending on how many of them are on Facebook. - You will lose access to all of your data once you delete your account, including photos and posts you’ve shared, groups and events you’ve participated in, and all other content you’ve created or interacted with on Facebook. - Your name and information will remain in Facebook’s database, even after you’ve deleted your account. This means that Facebook will continue to profit from your data and keep it on their servers until it becomes cost prohibitive to continue to do so, at which point they may destroy the data. They have not guaranteed that they will destroy the data in the future, however, and there’s no guarantee it will even be accessible by you at that point.
How to permanently delete your Facebook account
- Open the Facebook app on your mobile device and log in. - Tap the Menu button on the bottom right of the screen and select Settings. - Click General in the left-hand menu and scroll down until you see the Delete My Account option. - Tap on the blue button and you’ll be asked if you’re sure you want to delete your account. - After you select Delete Account, Facebook will prompt you to select a reason for deleting your account. - You’ll then be asked to enter your password one more time, and the account will be deleted.
Deleting doesn’t mean you’re gone forever – what happens when you delete your Facebook account?
First, you need to know that there is no way to be certain that your data will be deleted from Facebook’s servers once you delete your account. While the company has promised that it will delete your account and data from their servers within a few months, there is no guarantee that this will actually happen. The amount of time it takes for Facebook to delete your account and data once you’ve fulfilled the requirements necessary to do so varies depending on the type of account you have, how long you’ve used Facebook, and what third-party apps and services you’ve connected to your account. The basic requirement for deleting your account is that you’ve been a user for at least 14 days, and have logged in once during that period to verify that you do indeed want to delete your account. You also cannot have any third-party apps or services that are connected to your account, and you can’t be an employee or contractor working for Facebook or one of their subsidiaries.
Can you come back? Is it really deletion?
One of the most common questions that people have about deleting their Facebook account is whether or not it’s possible to come back and re-activate it again in the future. While there is no guarantee that you’ll be able to come back and reactivate your account, it is possible that you will be allowed to do so at some point in the future. Facebook’s terms of service do not guarantee that you’ll be able to come back and reactivate your account in the future, and it’s entirely possible that they’ll permanently delete your account if you delete it and then try to reactivate it at a later date. There are some things you can do right now to protect your data and make it more difficult for Facebook to permanently delete your account and data.
3 more ways to protect your privacy and control your digital presence after deleting Facebook
- Delete other social media accounts. The more social media accounts you have, and the more data you have stored on them, the more vulnerable you are. Close out your other accounts to protect your data and your friends and family from scrutiny. - Stop using any apps that are connected to your Facebook account. You can check your third-party apps to see which of them are connected to your Facebook account. You can also use apps like Delete Your Account to help you unfriend and unfollow Facebook and other social media accounts. - Download your data. Before you delete your Facebook account, you’ll want to download a copy of your data so that you can see what all is stored on the site. Facebook provides a download feature that allows you to retrieve a copy of everything they have stored on your account.
Facebook is a useful tool that many of us rely on for communication and staying in touch with friends and family. That being said, it is not worth the risk to your privacy and security to keep your profile active on the site. If you are serious about protecting your data and maintaining control of your digital footprint, delete your Facebook account and take advantage of other methods for keeping in touch with your friends online and staying connected to your community.
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