Facebook's deepening crisis over the data leak of 50 million people to British political-advertising firm Cambridge Analytica has led to a public outcry about its data policies.
The hashtag #DeleteFacebook has been making the rounds on Twitter this week and when co-founder Mark Zuckerberg did come out to address the public, some 2 billion weren't ready to forgive the social network giant.
It is time. #deletefacebook
— Brian Acton (@brianacton) March 20, 2018
1. Remove Facebook bookmark from your web browser
If you visit your Facebook page every 20 minutes, its time you get rid of the app from your web browser. The lesser you involve with Facebook, the better.
2. Deactivate your Facebook account
If you're not able to control your constant urge to check Facebook, simply deactivate your account.
Facebook will still have your data, of course, but you'll get a chance to take a breather and depend less on the digital platform when you're ready to jump back in.
3. Stop signing in with Facebook
Do not use your Facebook credentials to log into various sites and services. By doing this, you give other companies access to your Facebook data, which can be used for various illicit activities.
Use a handy password manager to create and keep track of your logins and passwords instead. And if an app demands you sign into Facebook to use it, find an alternative.
4. Delete your account
Deleting your account is also an option, if you want to completely distance yourself from the social media world.
When you're absolutely sure about closing your account, let Facebook know, and be prepared to stay away from your account. Change your mind, and you'll have to start the countdown all over again.
"It may take up to 90 days from the beginning of the deletion process to delete all of the things you've posted, like your photos, status updates or other data stored in backup systems. While we are deleting this information, it is inaccessible to other people using Facebook," the company says in its Help Center page.
