Facebook is still hands down the most popular social networking site, with over 1.2 billion active users. But believe it or not, there are those who wish to end their relationship with the site. Facebook gives these people two options: deactivation or deletion. Deleting your account means you no longer have access to your Facebook data (however you can download a backup prior to deletion). I have to be honest, even just writing about Facebook account deletion makes me nervous, as I cannot imagine life without mine! Even navigating to the “Delete My Account” webpage for the purposes of writing these instructions got my heart racing (what if my finger accidentally slipped?!)
But anyway, for those who can cope with a life without Facebook, the process is relatively simple:
- Ensure you are logged in
- Go to https://www.facebook.com/help/delete_account
- Select the “Delete My Account” button
Facebook will wait a couple of days before beginning the deletion process, just in case you change your mind! After that though, your data is gone, removed, kaput! Never to be seen again.
Or is it?
According to the Facebook Data Use Policy, “it typically takes about one month to delete an account, but some information may remain in backup copies and logs for up to 90 days.” Something to keep in mind if you are looking for a quick fix for your digital footprint!
Further to this, Facebook is only deleting your account – this means some of your Facebook activity that isn’t stored in your account will still remain. This includes posting to a group or sending someone a message. If the friend has kept hold of the message at their end – it will exist regardless of whether you delete your account.
Interesting, huh? Just another example of how nothing is ever truly removed once it has been put up online!