Enraged With Facebook? If You're On It, You're Forever Linked

With all the controversy surrounding data privacy and Facebook allowing a UK-based firm, Cambridge Analytica to have information of 50 million users for use without permission, many Facebook users are opting to become former Facebook users. If you are one of them, keep in mind that logging off social media is not just a one-click and you’re done sort of task. There are a lot of tentacles wrapping themselves around your Facebook profile.

Every time you post something on social media and it’s liked or shared by someone, that post is out of your control. If you download an app through Facebook or play games, you are agreeing to some extent to give up some of your data, and in this case your friends’ data too, to data collectors. If you use your Facebook account to log into some other app, you are creating a link. Consider all the other accounts you log into for which you use your Facebook login credentials. They could include Lyft, Spotify, and Tinder to name a few. If you delete your Facebook account, you lose that link and it may have frustrating consequences.

Facebook data has been mined many times by many organizations with the most prevalent occurrence during President Obama's 2012 reelection campaign. Facebook granted the Obama campaign access to mine data from users that willingly offered their data. The shady part of this practice is that Facebook also allowed the personal data of all the willing participant's friends and family to be mined without their knowledge. Cambridge Analytica is a very public and recent example of how Facebook works with companies to sell your data without your knowledge.

Now, to be clear, it isn’t recommended to use any other account, Facebook, Google, or otherwise to log into any other online account. Each account should have separate login credentials and a completely unique, strong password. Just think about it. If someone gets unauthorized access to one of your linked accounts, they can very quickly and easily get into your Facebook or Google account. Considering how much information we put in those profiles, do you really want to make it that easy?

Take a moment to consider if you want to completely delete the account, and everything associated with it (photos, recipes, etc.), never to see it again. If not, there is an alternative. You can deactivate it. It’s temporary. So, if you’re in a fit of rage over the Cambridge Analytica thing and just want to quit right now, you can always deactivate it and come back to get photos and recipes later. But, you will still also temporarily deactivate your connected logins.

Otherwise, save all your posts and photos. You can log into your account, go to your settings, then “general,” then “Download a copy of your Facebook data.” Make sure you grab birthdays that you no longer remember, but let Facebook remind you of each month.

There is a “deleters remorse” option too. Facebook does let you recover your account for two weeks after deletion. After that period, consider it gone and you’ll have to sign up again if you want to go back. But you will not see the same data as you did before. It’s a brand-new account.

And after that, you’re free. Right? Not exactly. Facebook also owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and a slew of other apps and products. Just a reminder that in this connected world, it’s very difficult to erase your digital footprint. It’s always wise to consider what information you want to provide when you go online. And remember that once you post something, you lose control of what happens to it afterward. Not just because it potentially may be acquired by another company, but because once someone else shares or comments on it, it’s off and worming its way through the Internet. That information should be considered permanently out there and available for all to see.

Stickley on Security
March 26, 2018