Extra Technical Obstacles for Facebook Quitters(wsj.com)
wsj.com
Extra Technical Obstacles for Facebook Quitters
https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-facebook-quitters-face-technical-obstacles-1522947553
108 comments
I'm surprised there wasn't a step that involved a locked file cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the Leopard."
Instead of deactivation confirmation message, dialog box contained bobcat. One star.
For those unfamiliar with this classic reference:
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/40705-but-the-plans-were-on...
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/40705-but-the-plans-were-on...
It was when I clicked cancel because they switched the darker blue colour meaning affirmative on to the cancel button that I knew I was making the right call. Just sneaky.
"Delete my account" (dark blue), "Cancel" (light blue). "OK" (light blue; i.e. yes delete my account), "Cancel" (dark blue)
"Delete my account" (dark blue), "Cancel" (light blue). "OK" (light blue; i.e. yes delete my account), "Cancel" (dark blue)
More dark patterns: when I tried to delete my account, they claimed my password was incorrect. After trying and failing to delete my account for over a week, a tiny comment I saw on a YouTube video turned out to be gold: "if your password has upper and lower case characters, you must enter them all in lower-case or you will be told your password is incorrect."
That were correct.
(Account now deleted.)
That were correct.
(Account now deleted.)
Wow, is that true? How do they justify it /even get away with that?
> If you go back and try to clean up your account, do it multiple times. Keep doing it until Facebook can't find anything more to show you. I assume this is a technical optimization, but it means that there is no reliable to see everything you've posted (from the web UI).
I'm surprised nobody has written a (thirdparty) browser plugin for that task yet.
I'm surprised nobody has written a (thirdparty) browser plugin for that task yet.
There already is. A Chrome extension called Social Book Post Manager.
For messenger, at least if you're registered just in messenger with a phone number, you can "delete" it by re-installing the app and attempting to re-register with the same number. When it prompts you to use your existing account, say it's not you and then choose a new name.
This seems to reset your contacts and history. No idea what it looks like on the back end, assuming facebook is still rolling history associated with the number.
There used to also be a pathway to promote your messenger account to a full facebook account and then delete it that way, but it's been a while so not sure if that's still possible.
Not sure if you can pull of similar against email based accounts though.
This seems to reset your contacts and history. No idea what it looks like on the back end, assuming facebook is still rolling history associated with the number.
There used to also be a pathway to promote your messenger account to a full facebook account and then delete it that way, but it's been a while so not sure if that's still possible.
Not sure if you can pull of similar against email based accounts though.
> I ended up manually deleting all my content, unliking everything, and deleting all my posts.
Sounds like its worth waiting a month or two for when they fully implemented GPDR. That probably makes this way easier. (At least for EU residents)
Kudos to your hard work and perseverance though!
Sounds like its worth waiting a month or two for when they fully implemented GPDR. That probably makes this way easier. (At least for EU residents)
Kudos to your hard work and perseverance though!
Do you know of a way to automatically delete all my likes and posts?
I'd like to not delete my Facebook account because my Spotify account is linked to it.
I'd like to not delete my Facebook account because my Spotify account is linked to it.
Spotify will happily unlink your Spotify account from Facebook and has gotten a lot better (and faster) about it in recent days. Several posts on /r/spotify have experience:
https://www.reddit.com/r/spotify/search?q=facebook&restrict_...
https://www.reddit.com/r/spotify/search?q=facebook&restrict_...
Believe me I tried, it doesn't work in my specific case because the account was initialised via Facebook. They gotta make a new account and copy over my old data. That works, and the Spotify helpdesk is excellent.
Problem is, I use Premium via a voucher from my ISP. My ISP no longer gives these vouchers, and its claimed. So for a new account, I cannot get Premium for "free".
I should feel lucky my ISP hasn't disabled the existing vouchers (the main branch of the ISP did).
Problem is, I use Premium via a voucher from my ISP. My ISP no longer gives these vouchers, and its claimed. So for a new account, I cannot get Premium for "free".
I should feel lucky my ISP hasn't disabled the existing vouchers (the main branch of the ISP did).
I deleted all of my Facebook data about a year ago and I actually had to create a new Spotify account to disconnect it from Facebook. Glad to hear they are improving this process.
Try this Chrome extension, Social Book Post Manager. Appears to do exactly that.
Thank you very much, that's exactly what I was looking for (though I'm trying to use Mozilla Firefox). Works very well for this purpose but you gotta recheck and verify.
Also, I found I can't delete anything I posted from before sometime in 2008. I just get an error when I try to.
Cox, a major cable operator, allows you to sign up and add any services you want online. However, partially removing or cancelling services online is expressly forbidden. For example, if you wish to keep Internet service but cancel cable TV, a call is required.
I know it’s a different process, but wanted to reilluminate the some of the measures taken against disconnecting a service in general.
Once you do call, which I had to do for some older relatives recently, they invoke a high pressure sales pitch in the form of a question decision tree script.
The script requires the reps to start down the decision tree asking questions like, “Why are you disconnecting your service today?”, and then using that answer and others to slowly incent/coerce you into a corner intended to make you feel it would be an absurd decision to downgrade service.
I recorded the call (legal because they are recording it as well) to avoid misunderstandings about the precise details of what was being politely requested.
In response to every script question, I gave one simple answer. “Sir, why are you downgrading your service today?”. I reply, “It’s a secret”.
After a few seconds of hesitation, another question follows. “Is there anything you are not happy about with our service?”, “If we could save you more money than any other service would you be interested in hearing about it?”. Sorry, that’s also a secret.
Surprisingly, it short circuited the script pretty quickly without any social discomfort or feeling a need to justify myself. They allowed the changes to proceed, fully documented.
I know it’s a different process, but wanted to reilluminate the some of the measures taken against disconnecting a service in general.
Once you do call, which I had to do for some older relatives recently, they invoke a high pressure sales pitch in the form of a question decision tree script.
The script requires the reps to start down the decision tree asking questions like, “Why are you disconnecting your service today?”, and then using that answer and others to slowly incent/coerce you into a corner intended to make you feel it would be an absurd decision to downgrade service.
I recorded the call (legal because they are recording it as well) to avoid misunderstandings about the precise details of what was being politely requested.
In response to every script question, I gave one simple answer. “Sir, why are you downgrading your service today?”. I reply, “It’s a secret”.
After a few seconds of hesitation, another question follows. “Is there anything you are not happy about with our service?”, “If we could save you more money than any other service would you be interested in hearing about it?”. Sorry, that’s also a secret.
Surprisingly, it short circuited the script pretty quickly without any social discomfort or feeling a need to justify myself. They allowed the changes to proceed, fully documented.
I have always just said "we are moving to an area that you do not service" and that's the end of that.
The worst is at the freakin' grocery store. If you have to go to the aisle with a cashier, they ask for your store-brand 'saver[slash-spyware] card'. If you tell them you don't have one it's usually followed by a "would you like to sign up..." "No, thank you." and then a "Can I have your phone number" at that point I'm annoyed. I am just trying to buy some Golden Grahams here lady you don't need my phone number, no I'm not giving you that.
I actually had one poor girl look at me like a lost puppy at this point. I don't think she'd ever had anyone decline before - and that scares the hell out of me. She had no idea what to do, the register wouldn't continue the transaction without inputting a phone number. After a few seconds of her staring at me bewildered I had to suggest she try just holding her finger down on the 1 key.
The worst is at the freakin' grocery store. If you have to go to the aisle with a cashier, they ask for your store-brand 'saver[slash-spyware] card'. If you tell them you don't have one it's usually followed by a "would you like to sign up..." "No, thank you." and then a "Can I have your phone number" at that point I'm annoyed. I am just trying to buy some Golden Grahams here lady you don't need my phone number, no I'm not giving you that.
I actually had one poor girl look at me like a lost puppy at this point. I don't think she'd ever had anyone decline before - and that scares the hell out of me. She had no idea what to do, the register wouldn't continue the transaction without inputting a phone number. After a few seconds of her staring at me bewildered I had to suggest she try just holding her finger down on the 1 key.
Blue Apron is the same way (easy sign-up online, cancellation on the website tells you to call this phone number).
So for the last year, I've been typing in "Blue Apron" to google every couple of weeks, clicking on their paid ad, and skipping the next 5 weeks of deliveries. :)
So for the last year, I've been typing in "Blue Apron" to google every couple of weeks, clicking on their paid ad, and skipping the next 5 weeks of deliveries. :)
We need single click online cancellation legislation at the federal level. If you can sign up online, you should be able to just as easily cancel online.
https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/30/tech-blogger-makes-good/
https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/30/tech-blogger-makes-good/
The New York Times uses this cancellation process as well. I don’t feel bad about violating their paywall now after being forced to actually talk to a person to do something that should be enabled with a single click.
The NYT now has an option to cancel using a chat window -- and I'm pretty sure the operator that you're chatting with is a bot.
Don't call. Go into the local customer service office. There you will talk to a real human being who is not making a lot of money and probably struggling to pay her own cable bill. She will be sympathetic. She will put you on the new customer discount plan, or cancel whatever you want without a lot of pushback.
Time Warner didn't respect the choice to not disclose a reason. They went in circles a few times, instead of dropping the question and advancing the script.
Facinsating, although I empathize. I assume peaceful resistance of politely reiterating the reason is private would require them to yield eventually? If not, seems like it’d make for a great audio clip for some morning news show.
You can listen to a classic example of this behavior from Comcast here:
https://soundcloud.com/ryan-block-10/comcastic-service
https://soundcloud.com/ryan-block-10/comcastic-service
It's likely on a per-callcentre and per-agent basis.
Remember the agent is often required to record your disposition at the end of every contact, they can face consequences if they misuse buttons like "Answering Machine" and "Hang Up". So if they get ahold of you, they really want to get a reason out of you.
Remember the agent is often required to record your disposition at the end of every contact, they can face consequences if they misuse buttons like "Answering Machine" and "Hang Up". So if they get ahold of you, they really want to get a reason out of you.
My tactic is always to pretend to be an assistant doing it for my boss so I have no authority to do anything but cancel/downgrade etc.
Sometimes will backfire if you are not 'authorized' to even do that, by the service you are cancelling.
Same with Simplisafe. You can activate online, but need to call the cancel. This is for "security"...which is bull crap because if you have access to the online account, you have access to the "safe word" that supposedly protects your account.
I called a few times to cancel, each time I hung up after 10 minutes. Finally I opted to leave a voicemail to get a call back. After a few days I finally got a call back and cancelled.
Service was terminated immediately. If they really wanted to protect you, you would give you a few more days for free and also confirm that you is 2FA so a burglar doesn't cancel your system without you knowing and then robbing you.
I called a few times to cancel, each time I hung up after 10 minutes. Finally I opted to leave a voicemail to get a call back. After a few days I finally got a call back and cancelled.
Service was terminated immediately. If they really wanted to protect you, you would give you a few more days for free and also confirm that you is 2FA so a burglar doesn't cancel your system without you knowing and then robbing you.
> Cox, a major cable operator, allows you to sign up and add any services you want online
Yap I am with them and noticed that as well. Pretty annoying. But same as many gyms (some even require you to send a letter, a call is not even enough).
I am lucky there is Verizon Fios so every few years I call whichever service I have and scare them that I am switching to the competitor. So then they either give me a discount or I switch and get a discount.
Yap I am with them and noticed that as well. Pretty annoying. But same as many gyms (some even require you to send a letter, a call is not even enough).
I am lucky there is Verizon Fios so every few years I call whichever service I have and scare them that I am switching to the competitor. So then they either give me a discount or I switch and get a discount.
Fortunately the bank allows me to block transactions online. What's the appropriate due diligence to ensure the don't try to continue charging you? Would an email requesting disconnection suffice in front of a judge?
However, partially removing or cancelling services online is expressly forbidden.
The first time, they didn't process the cancellation at all.
The second time, they delayed it two extra days so that they charged me another cycle.
Both times, I was routed to an offshore call center.
They might get wise to the "it's a secret" tactic and add that case to their decision tree.
Probably (maybe?) not intentional, but suspiciously timed. Presumably off-boarding from Facebook looks a bit like a funnel, where every additional hurdle means more people will bail on their original intended action.
I nuked my facebook account a couple years back and I remember eye rolling at the number of steps. And then there was the waiting period where they’d keep my account around for some number of days or weeks just in case I decided to come back. Easier to buy a gun at a gun show than do something truly grave like get rid of a social media account.
I nuked my facebook account a couple years back and I remember eye rolling at the number of steps. And then there was the waiting period where they’d keep my account around for some number of days or weeks just in case I decided to come back. Easier to buy a gun at a gun show than do something truly grave like get rid of a social media account.
Hey, question for you, admittedly slightly tangential.
I've been a dev for a few user facing products that stored customer created content and offered account deletion. These sites weren't specifically social, and I always thought offering a "we don't hard delete for N days" (with reasonably short N) was a user friendly option, in case of accidental deletion or realizing recovery of certain assets was needed. Would you have an issue with this if the rest of the process wasn't dark-patterened? (e.g. if it was a clear single button "Delete account, type account name to confirm, OK, your stuff is going to be hard gone in a week")
I'm curious as to where that line would be for you, since I usually consider well towards the "make options blatantly transparent and easy to use" and to the "allow users control of their account" side of things.
I've been a dev for a few user facing products that stored customer created content and offered account deletion. These sites weren't specifically social, and I always thought offering a "we don't hard delete for N days" (with reasonably short N) was a user friendly option, in case of accidental deletion or realizing recovery of certain assets was needed. Would you have an issue with this if the rest of the process wasn't dark-patterened? (e.g. if it was a clear single button "Delete account, type account name to confirm, OK, your stuff is going to be hard gone in a week")
I'm curious as to where that line would be for you, since I usually consider well towards the "make options blatantly transparent and easy to use" and to the "allow users control of their account" side of things.
I feel like Github's Danger Zone strikes a nice middle ground between "total footgun" and Facebook's belligerent refusal to let someone immediately sever their relationship.
Actually, when compared to a breakup, the Facebook model seems even more silly:
"I just think this relationship isn't working, and that we should move on, and find someone who we'll be happy with."
"I'm really sorry you feel that way. I'll just continue being your boyfriend for the next week or two. If I hear from you at all during that time, I'll assume we're back together."
And specifically keeping a backup of my data prior to hard delete? On a continuum from worst to best:
Worst: Company as a matter of policy keeps my data around intentionally past the point of severing the relationship.
Forgivable: Technical architectural constraints mean that there might be some lag time before an "erase the tapes" process fully purges my data, with this limitation noted in the docs.
Best: Once I've terminated my relationship with the company, the company purges all my personal data.
Actually, when compared to a breakup, the Facebook model seems even more silly:
"I just think this relationship isn't working, and that we should move on, and find someone who we'll be happy with."
"I'm really sorry you feel that way. I'll just continue being your boyfriend for the next week or two. If I hear from you at all during that time, I'll assume we're back together."
And specifically keeping a backup of my data prior to hard delete? On a continuum from worst to best:
Worst: Company as a matter of policy keeps my data around intentionally past the point of severing the relationship.
Forgivable: Technical architectural constraints mean that there might be some lag time before an "erase the tapes" process fully purges my data, with this limitation noted in the docs.
Best: Once I've terminated my relationship with the company, the company purges all my personal data.
I recently nuked my email account by accident because their Close Account thingo is just 'enter password' > click button to the right, which is the identical process for . unlocking the 'Password & Security' settings 'enter password' > click button to the right, only the close account option is at the bottom of the page.
It was late, I was tired and not paying attention. I've raised this with the service provider and they mentioned they plan to fix it.
They store backups for deleted items for 7 days.
This seems like a reasonable way of going about things.
It was late, I was tired and not paying attention. I've raised this with the service provider and they mentioned they plan to fix it.
They store backups for deleted items for 7 days.
This seems like a reasonable way of going about things.
If you're in Europe and want to delete your fb account, wouldn't it be better to wait until GDPR activates, so your data actually gets erased instead of hidden?
I'm going to erase quite a few accounts I'm no longer using on various services, I really hope they won't cheat.
I'm going to erase quite a few accounts I'm no longer using on various services, I really hope they won't cheat.
It’s currently not possible to request all your data from Instagram, so I’m waiting for GDPR to arrive before closing my account.
That way I can both get a backup of my images and have a reasonable chance of my data actually being deleted.
That way I can both get a backup of my images and have a reasonable chance of my data actually being deleted.
Any proof anything is actually deleted?
Also, what’s the process for proving that you are the legitimate owner of the record?
Also, what’s the process for proving that you are the legitimate owner of the record?
According to Wikipedia, GDPR arrives on the 25th of May. Do you know it services are truly forced to comply from that day onwards or should we wait even longer?
They are forced to comply at that point - they've had 2 years to get ready.
It's going to be very interesting to see what happens. Actual compliance I strongly suspect is going to depend on whether they enforce it - and actually levy a fine of 4% of total annual revenue against a significant company.
Apropos nothing, I remember reading an article a few years ago about how Facebook was using blue ray disks for long term storage.
Now if I was responsible for this thing, I would wait 6 months or so, and then tell all the Data Protection Authorities that their bonuses were directly linked to revenue from enforcement ... and sit back and watch the fun.
It's going to be very interesting to see what happens. Actual compliance I strongly suspect is going to depend on whether they enforce it - and actually levy a fine of 4% of total annual revenue against a significant company.
Apropos nothing, I remember reading an article a few years ago about how Facebook was using blue ray disks for long term storage.
Now if I was responsible for this thing, I would wait 6 months or so, and then tell all the Data Protection Authorities that their bonuses were directly linked to revenue from enforcement ... and sit back and watch the fun.
If we log on from the UK or another European company after the 25th and delete the account from there, will they apply the GDPR based deletion, where they actually delete the data?
Are e-residents (e.g: Estonia) protected by GDPR?
Was just about to ask this. I wonder if Estonian e-residents would have the same digital protections offered to EU residents, including the right to be forgotten[0].
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_be_forgotten#European...
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_be_forgotten#European...
While not exactly the same, reminds me of the "Roach Motel" Dark Pattern [1] which intentionally increases friction to completing an action by users that would be detrimental to the business (such as deleting one's account). Amazon is another example of making it nearly impossible to figure out how to delete your account unless you search for the steps or go through a lot of trial and error. [2]
[1] https://darkpatterns.org/types-of-dark-pattern/roach-motel [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxkrdLI6e6M
[1] https://darkpatterns.org/types-of-dark-pattern/roach-motel [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxkrdLI6e6M
The quickest way to get an idea of the ethics of a company you are about to sign up with is to see how easy it is to delete your account. If that's not automatic and with only one confirmation whether or not you are sure and that you can't undo your deletion then you are best off not to give them your data in the first place.
For all those FB users this is of course way too late, but maybe it will help some of you in the future with other services.
For all those FB users this is of course way too late, but maybe it will help some of you in the future with other services.
Second this. I have a junk address I use to sign up first, and if there's no flow to self-terminate I won't signup.
I've had some services where I've wound up in a standoff in an intercom session, with the requirement that I justify the deletion or go through troubleshooting and customer support before being blessed with the right to remove my own account.
ExpressVPN stands out particularly, the rep resorted to insulting me over my knowledge of data security when I justified the deletion based on the fact they could one day leak or be sold, so I'd prefer to terminate unused credentials.
Particularly strong pattern with VPN providers, Crypto exchanges, etc.
I've had some services where I've wound up in a standoff in an intercom session, with the requirement that I justify the deletion or go through troubleshooting and customer support before being blessed with the right to remove my own account.
ExpressVPN stands out particularly, the rep resorted to insulting me over my knowledge of data security when I justified the deletion based on the fact they could one day leak or be sold, so I'd prefer to terminate unused credentials.
Particularly strong pattern with VPN providers, Crypto exchanges, etc.
A similar advice holds when you're buying some (physical) product: first call customer service, and see how long it takes them to pick up the phone.
I clicked the delete button on my account on Monday. I've had several people come to me and ask why I unfriended them, as if they had thought they'd offended me in some way. I started to wonder if Facebook had told them that I'd unfriended them. No, some of them had browser plugins that would search their friends list for changes.
... which is cool, I guess.
... which is cool, I guess.
you can tell them you unfriended them because they are still using Facebook :>
I deleted my account a few days ago. It was surprisingly less trouble than expected. I had very little linked to my account, only my PlayStation account had access for posting media from my PS4 which I only did once or twice.
I downloaded my data, which took about 20 minutes to accumulate, hit the delete button and had to confirm a second time with my password. Supposedly my account will be removed after 14 days of being deactivated. I had to be careful to remove all bookmarks etc to prevent any accidental logins resulting in the process being reversed.
Glad it’s gone, I don’t miss it. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for this type of thing on the internet.
I downloaded my data, which took about 20 minutes to accumulate, hit the delete button and had to confirm a second time with my password. Supposedly my account will be removed after 14 days of being deactivated. I had to be careful to remove all bookmarks etc to prevent any accidental logins resulting in the process being reversed.
Glad it’s gone, I don’t miss it. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for this type of thing on the internet.
Obligatory non-Paywall link http://archive.is/FVdrM
I guess fullwsj.com got shutdown because of recent facebook limitations. Does the twitter referrer still work for wsj.com?
I've been using this Chrome extension [0] for many years which simply hides the news feed. After installing it, I never looked back. I haven't disabled it once. If everyone stopped using the news feed, Facebook would be dead. It's the heart of the addiction machine.
[0] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kill-news-feed/hjo...
[0] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kill-news-feed/hjo...
I managed to get the same effect by going to "News Feed Preferences" and unfollowing everyone. I don't think this was possible years ago, but now it is.
This is sort of bizarre to me.
I say this because I use uBlock to remove everything but the newsfeed. The screen shots shown on that extension page is basically the inverse of what I have...
How do you engage with Facebook at all?
How do you engage with Facebook at all?
My guess is they engage with other Facebook users in a more direct and deliberate manner.
I'd wager that's a far less addictive way to use Facebook overall.
I'd wager that's a far less addictive way to use Facebook overall.
thanks, installed :)
Quick question (I can't test as I'm not on Facebook):
If someone logs into a separate service using their 'Facebook Login' will that reactivate their account if disabled/deleted (within 14 days)?
Has this been tested?
A lot of people have saved logins etc so might not realise if this does actually reactivate them...
If someone logs into a separate service using their 'Facebook Login' will that reactivate their account if disabled/deleted (within 14 days)?
Has this been tested?
A lot of people have saved logins etc so might not realise if this does actually reactivate them...
Yes. Without a doubt.
On a related note, I'm seeing lots of ads in meat-space here in Chicago about how much better Facebook is going to become at filtering fake news and fake accounts from you. It's a sign to me they're finally worried.
Yeah, all those ads about how they're going to fix fake ads, and clickbait ads, and so on, all over the L stops...
They're buying ads that try to influence public opinion, about how they mishandled orgs buying ads that try to influence public opinion. :)
They're buying ads that try to influence public opinion, about how they mishandled orgs buying ads that try to influence public opinion. :)
How commonly accepted of a best practice is it to only shadow delete items in a DB. Will GDPR in Europe stop this? As a US user, I always fear that the internet is 100% written in ink. Either because of some caching mechanism, archiving protocol, or general reluctance to delete.
Extremely common but definitely not best practice. Many companies don't even have life cycle management.
Hopefully GDPR will stop this.
Your fears are well founded, especially for anything that was public at some point in time. Also include email in that view.
Hopefully GDPR will stop this.
Your fears are well founded, especially for anything that was public at some point in time. Also include email in that view.
I would join all of the people in this Facebook exodus but I haven't used it in five years or so.
Catch up with old friends over lunch sometime or write them an actual letter. You'll feel more connected having that kind of personal interaction than seeing snippets in a timeline.
As for events, if the people close to you don't think to invite you to things... Reevaluate your social life because something seems broken and it's not the lack of FB. People had perfectly healthy social lives before FB inserted itself.
PS: I didn't have to "delete" my account. I just never installed the app and don't ever log in. I flagged the updates as spam in my email and all is well.
Catch up with old friends over lunch sometime or write them an actual letter. You'll feel more connected having that kind of personal interaction than seeing snippets in a timeline.
As for events, if the people close to you don't think to invite you to things... Reevaluate your social life because something seems broken and it's not the lack of FB. People had perfectly healthy social lives before FB inserted itself.
PS: I didn't have to "delete" my account. I just never installed the app and don't ever log in. I flagged the updates as spam in my email and all is well.
If you want to avoid logging in accidentally, you can just make a garbage (that is, no-garbage?) account that you use only for family or something and then log into that instead.
Rename your old account to John Smith or something, change the password to sign everything out, delete it and then only re-sign into your new account (which you intend to barely/not use).
Nowadays I only use Facebook to reach family that don’t use Instagram and I keep my Instagram network private-only and small (<80). There is automatic cross-posting so it doesn’t cost me any effort in this regard.
Rename your old account to John Smith or something, change the password to sign everything out, delete it and then only re-sign into your new account (which you intend to barely/not use).
Nowadays I only use Facebook to reach family that don’t use Instagram and I keep my Instagram network private-only and small (<80). There is automatic cross-posting so it doesn’t cost me any effort in this regard.
Don't worry, Facebook keeps track of devices, so they'll still know it's really you.
I don't use Facebook much however there were some private support groups on there related to my health issues. However many of my friends and family don't know about my health issues so I wanted to create a separate account to view those groups. In order that Facebook doesn't link to my older account, I created a new account on my laptop, created a new gmail account, then created a new Facebook account with fake information. Even then Facebook managed to link me to the friends and family with my original account.
Yes, they ask you to re-add all your old friends but I’m assuming that will disappear eventually when my other account goes poof [1].
1: in reality, it probably doesn’t ever go poof.
1: in reality, it probably doesn’t ever go poof.
I don't think that's a valid assumption :-)
https://m.facebook.com/account/delete
Use this link to delete hassle-free.
Use this link to delete hassle-free.
https://outline.com/Vg4R7C
For non subscribers
For non subscribers
This happened to me last week; I assumed it was intentional, a super-form of the "your friends will miss you!". You can reset your password and continue.
why would i have to delete my account anyhow. I just stopped using facebook quite awhile ago but still have my account there. From time to time people which would have otherwise trouble to find me online write me there and thanks to the mail notifications i can tell them how to contact me properly.
They still collect information on you from all sites with a Like button. If you don't mind that there's no need to delete anything.
Just install ublock origin and activate all social filters.
I thought the issue was they do this regardless of whether or not you officially have an account.
Paywall. Summary?
"Facebook has asked several major U.S. hospitals to share anonymized data about their patients, such as illnesses and prescription info, for a proposed research project.
Facebook was intending to match it up with user data it had collected, and help the hospitals figure out which patients might need special care or treatment."
Source:
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/05/facebook-building-8-explored...
Facebook was intending to match it up with user data it had collected, and help the hospitals figure out which patients might need special care or treatment."
Source:
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/05/facebook-building-8-explored...
Please share anonymous data with us that we can cross reference with our own data to de-anonymize!
The chief investment officer of the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) deleted his Facebook account yesterday because of FB's management re: privacy.
CalSTRS owned $650.4 million in FB shares at end of year 2017. I wonder if he experienced any of these technical problems when deleting his account.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/05/calstrs-cio-deletes-facebook...
CalSTRS owned $650.4 million in FB shares at end of year 2017. I wonder if he experienced any of these technical problems when deleting his account.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/05/calstrs-cio-deletes-facebook...
I didn't delete my facebook. I unfriended everyone I knew. Took screenshots of the first pictures I saw when you googled my name as my pictures, then added random friends in other states I didn't know (not before re-filling all my data with fake data). Screw you facebook!
"We've seen a few advertisers pause with us and they're asking the same questions that other people are asking," Sandberg said Thursday in an interview at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California. "They want to make sure they can use data and use it safely."
Sandberg said she is having "reassuring conversations with advertisers, just as we are with people," about how Facebook has built privacy into its system.
[ This is very reassuring. ]
The company makes almost all its revenue and profit from advertising.
[ This too. ]
...
In a wide-ranging interview, Sandberg discussed the company's shifting responsibilities as it thinks about what can go wrong with its network, following the Cambridge Analytica revelations.
[ "Shifting responsibilities". Hmmm. ]
...
The company will also apply new European user-privacy rules globally, Sandberg said.
While the service may look different depending on the country, "the fundamental core principles of those settings and controls we are going to apply all over the world," she said. "Whether or not laws are passed."
[ Why does it need to "look different"? Less confusing that way I guess. ]
Separately, in an interview with Emily Chang of Bloomberg Television, Sandberg took the blame for not ensuring that Facebook's operations were staffed at the right level to protect users' privacy and for failing to look at security issues in total rather than dealing with specific problems as they arose.
"We also didn't build our operations fast enough, and that's on me," Sandberg said, explaining that the company will have 20,000 people working on security by year's end.
[ How brave to take the blame, considering the repercussions for this sort of negligence or carelessness with respect to privacy in the US are... nonexistent. ]
Source:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-05/facebook-...
Sandberg said she is having "reassuring conversations with advertisers, just as we are with people," about how Facebook has built privacy into its system.
[ This is very reassuring. ]
The company makes almost all its revenue and profit from advertising.
[ This too. ]
...
In a wide-ranging interview, Sandberg discussed the company's shifting responsibilities as it thinks about what can go wrong with its network, following the Cambridge Analytica revelations.
[ "Shifting responsibilities". Hmmm. ]
...
The company will also apply new European user-privacy rules globally, Sandberg said.
While the service may look different depending on the country, "the fundamental core principles of those settings and controls we are going to apply all over the world," she said. "Whether or not laws are passed."
[ Why does it need to "look different"? Less confusing that way I guess. ]
Separately, in an interview with Emily Chang of Bloomberg Television, Sandberg took the blame for not ensuring that Facebook's operations were staffed at the right level to protect users' privacy and for failing to look at security issues in total rather than dealing with specific problems as they arose.
"We also didn't build our operations fast enough, and that's on me," Sandberg said, explaining that the company will have 20,000 people working on security by year's end.
[ How brave to take the blame, considering the repercussions for this sort of negligence or carelessness with respect to privacy in the US are... nonexistent. ]
Source:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-05/facebook-...
"I feel deeply personally responsible, because a lot of mistakes were made," Sandberg said in an interview with Bloomberg.
[ Dont feel bad. You are doing a fantastic job! ]
"What we didn't do until recently and what we are doing now is just take a broader view looking to be more restrictive in ways data could be misused. We also didn't build our operations fast enough -- and that's on me," she added.
...
Sandberg addressed that comment as well, emphasizing that "all of that was public information."
...
"This is a forever process, because security is always an arms race," Sandberg said during an interview with Bloomberg.
[ No worries! Take as much time as you need. ]
Source:
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/05/facebook-coo-feels-deeply-pe...
[ Dont feel bad. You are doing a fantastic job! ]
"What we didn't do until recently and what we are doing now is just take a broader view looking to be more restrictive in ways data could be misused. We also didn't build our operations fast enough -- and that's on me," she added.
...
Sandberg addressed that comment as well, emphasizing that "all of that was public information."
...
"This is a forever process, because security is always an arms race," Sandberg said during an interview with Bloomberg.
[ No worries! Take as much time as you need. ]
Source:
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/05/facebook-coo-feels-deeply-pe...
It looks like you've been posting dozens of these. Would you please stop? HN threads are for conversation, not copy-pasting.
And these two about Sandberg are the first ones that got downvoted. (But one of them just got upvoted, so... Touche Sandberg PR team. :)
The bracketed comments (so-called "commentary") are what drew the demerits I suspect, not the copy-paste. I apologise to anyone who was offended. No more sarcasm from me, and no more copy-paste, I promise.
Almost all other posts have gotten generous amounts of upvotes. None got downvotes.
HN has some ethical readers who are bolstering the faith I have in the future of the internet!
One post (the one about the story comparing FB to an engorged tick) got 98 upvotes.
The bracketed comments (so-called "commentary") are what drew the demerits I suspect, not the copy-paste. I apologise to anyone who was offended. No more sarcasm from me, and no more copy-paste, I promise.
Almost all other posts have gotten generous amounts of upvotes. None got downvotes.
HN has some ethical readers who are bolstering the faith I have in the future of the internet!
One post (the one about the story comparing FB to an engorged tick) got 98 upvotes.
Thanks, I appreciate the change.
Upvotes are an important variable on HN but they aren't sufficient to keep the site on track with its mandate. If they were, it wouldn't need moderation.
Upvotes are an important variable on HN but they aren't sufficient to keep the site on track with its mandate. If they were, it wouldn't need moderation.
“Mistakes were made?”
No, you people knew exactly what you were doing.
No, you people knew exactly what you were doing.
An account created 40 minutes ago can post something that appears on the front page?
Fot a more zen perspective, consider the upside down: It’s not the poster that got it to the front page, but the people who upvoted it.
If those were all fresh accounts, it would have been detected as a voting ring.
If those were all fresh accounts, it would have been detected as a voting ring.
pcunite(1)
Why not? What matters is article quality.
Thank you for a good point. Would you please look into who is down-voting the heck out of me? I've been here for years and enjoy the good times. What is making this place so touchy?
Meta-discussion in articles is generally discouraged and considered off-topic. Downvoting is pretty common of comments that question why an article is on the site or on the front page. If you don't agree that an article should be here, there's a "flag" link for that. No need for discussion; all that does is detract from the people who do think the article belongs here and want to have an interesting discussion about the article itself, and view comments such as yours as noise.
None of this has anything to do with people being "touchy"[0]; we just want to keep comments that further discussion of the article at the top, and off-topic meta discussion out of the way.
[0] I really dislike characterization of most moderation actions with such emotionally-charged language. The vast majority of my downvotes involve little to no emotion at all.
None of this has anything to do with people being "touchy"[0]; we just want to keep comments that further discussion of the article at the top, and off-topic meta discussion out of the way.
[0] I really dislike characterization of most moderation actions with such emotionally-charged language. The vast majority of my downvotes involve little to no emotion at all.
There are a number of individuals who will downvote meta comments like this. I, for example, almost always blindly downvote any comment complaining about down votes. The reason is usually fairly simple: it's usually not a worthwhile discussion and off-topic, and I want to strongly discourage that sort of behavior. If you don't think something should be on HN, flag it and leave it at that.
Fun facts:
* They switch around button colors to trick you into undoing your actions
* They are very eager to log you back in if you, for example, try to access help. This reactivates your account.
* You cannot delete your account on Messenger. They removed the option. Deleting your Facebook profile does not delete your messenger account
* Their doc for deleting your messenger account lies/is out of date.
* There is no shortage of dark patterns in their account delete process.
I ended up manually deleting all my content, unliking everything, and deleting all my posts.
More fun facts: they don't show you all of your content. If you go back and try to clean up your account, do it multiple times. Keep doing it until Facebook can't find anything more to show you. I assume this is a technical optimization, but it means that there is no reliable to see everything you've posted (from the web UI).