How to delete your Facebook account completely on your iPhone or Mac

Posted:
in General Discussion edited October 2020
With anger and distrust at the social network at perhaps an all-time high, here's how to go about getting rid of Facebook -- something that's a lot easier than it used to be.




Facebook is once again in the news for not-very-positive reasons, this time due to a series of news stories related to its relationship with the polling and data mining outfit Cambridge Analytica, and specifically the way CA improperly used a large cache of Facebook users' data, without permission, in connection with the 2016 presidential election.

This has all made trust in Facebook collapse, along with its stock price, while also pushing some users to get off the platform altogether. But for users to take the plunge, how exactly can they go about doing it?

There are two different options for getting off Facebook: deactivating and deleting. If one chooses to de-activate, that simply means they are removing their profile from public view, while retaining the option of re-activating it at a later time. This allows Facebook to retain your data.

Deleting your account means both they and you lose everything you've posted.

Still want to delete? First, open up Facebook in a browser, as you can't delete your account from the app. Second, Go to the Delete Account page:



Click Delete My Account, and that's it. However, even if you do, deletion requests take a few days to go into effect, and if the user logs back in during the deletion process, the deletion is cancelled with no warning to the user.

If you wish to save all of your data before deleting Facebook, there's an easy way to do that, too. Go to Facebook.com/settings and click "Download a copy of your Facebook data" at the bottom.

Deleting Facebook used to be much more difficult, but some EU regulations passed last year led the social network to change the protocol.
dysamoriaboogerman2000
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 21
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    The "GDPR" law mentioned in this article, that gives people a "right to be forgotten" - does that mean all sites must have a delete account function now or soon?
    SpamSandwichdoozydozen
  • Reply 2 of 21
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    If you’re going to delete your Facebook account then delete every social media account you have ever subscribed to, all of them. They are all the same as far as personal data goes. To do otherwise is hypocritical. The genie got out of the bottle years ago and there’s no such thing as a “right to be forgotten” let alone privacy on the Internet.
  • Reply 3 of 21
    mwhitemwhite Posts: 287member
    They say a few days but actually it's up to 14 days.
  • Reply 4 of 21
    xbitxbit Posts: 390member
    ascii said:
    The "GDPR" law mentioned in this article, that gives people a "right to be forgotten" - does that mean all sites must have a delete account function now or soon?
    GDPR is a piece of EU regulation. All entities that handle the user data of EU citizens have to delete all user data relating to an individual when requested. This regulation comes into force on 25th May. The fine for not deleting user data when requested is up 4% of annual turnover.

    The timing from the EU couldn't be better.
    dysamoriaRayz2016asciidoozydozen
  • Reply 5 of 21
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    I'd love to do this but Facebook is unfortunately one of the only ways to keep casually connected to a lot of people who live far from me. I have no local "tribe" of my own, so I use social media to try to find some kinship on the internet instead. I'm not nearly alone in wanting to not be alone, while living, trapped, in a region filled almost exclusively with ideologically-opposite types of people. For people in my situation, it's not about trying to find an echo chamber or avoiding differing opinions; I'm swamped in them. It's about trying to feel like a member (rather than an unwanted outsider) of any part of society at all.
    ravnorodomcropr
  • Reply 6 of 21
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    dysamoria said:
    I'd love to do this but Facebook is unfortunately one of the only ways to keep casually connected to a lot of people who live far from me. I have no local "tribe" of my own, so I use social media to try to find some kinship on the internet instead. I'm not nearly alone in wanting to not be alone, while living, trapped, in a region filled almost exclusively with ideologically-opposite types of people. For people in my situation, it's not about trying to find an echo chamber or avoiding differing opinions; I'm swamped in them. It's about trying to feel like a member (rather than an unwanted outsider) of any part of society at all.
    We've got a "dial it back" piece coming shortly.
    TomEdoozydozen
  • Reply 7 of 21
    croprcropr Posts: 1,122member
    ascii said:
    The "GDPR" law mentioned in this article, that gives people a "right to be forgotten" - does that mean all sites must have a delete account function now or soon?
    No.  It is sufficient that the delete functionality is offered on request (e.g. via email).  
  • Reply 8 of 21
    FranculesFrancules Posts: 122member
    Awesome
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 21
    croprcropr Posts: 1,122member
    lkrupp said:
    If you’re going to delete your Facebook account then delete every social media account you have ever subscribed to, all of them. They are all the same as far as personal data goes. To do otherwise is hypocritical. The genie got out of the bottle years ago and there’s no such thing as a “right to be forgotten” let alone privacy on the Internet.
    In the EU there is a right to be forgotten: you must a EU citizen or live in the EU to have that right.  From the 25th of May you can get it by a simple request.  Until then the right to be forgotten exists, but you practically need a lawyer to enforce it. 

    This means that all social media need a delete account functionality in the EU.  This includes Facebook.
    edited March 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 21
    croprcropr Posts: 1,122member
    dysamoria said:
    I'd love to do this but Facebook is unfortunately one of the only ways to keep casually connected to a lot of people who live far from me. I have no local "tribe" of my own, so I use social media to try to find some kinship on the internet instead. I'm not nearly alone in wanting to not be alone, while living, trapped, in a region filled almost exclusively with ideologically-opposite types of people. For people in my situation, it's not about trying to find an echo chamber or avoiding differing opinions; I'm swamped in them. It's about trying to feel like a member (rather than an unwanted outsider) of any part of society at all.
    I am part of the organization team of the Belgian Youth Chess Championships and we face a similar issue.  Facebook and Twitter are absolute must have channels to reach the youth players, whether we like it or not
  • Reply 11 of 21
    TomETomE Posts: 172member
    I no longer trust Facebook or any other social media.  They are intrusive - for me privacy is paramount to everyone knowing everything about me in this world in which we live.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 21
    dcgoodcgoo Posts: 280member
    dysamoria said:
    I'd love to do this but Facebook is unfortunately one of the only ways to keep casually connected to a lot of people who live far from me. I have no local "tribe" of my own, so I use social media to try to find some kinship on the internet instead. I'm not nearly alone in wanting to not be alone, while living, trapped, in a region filled almost exclusively with ideologically-opposite types of people. For people in my situation, it's not about trying to find an echo chamber or avoiding differing opinions; I'm swamped in them. It's about trying to feel like a member (rather than an unwanted outsider) of any part of society at all.
    I don't mean to pick on dysamoria, but this thinking absolutely stuns me.   I am really shocked to discover some people are that dependent on the platform.  I m beginning to understand I'm afraid.  I am really glad I never signed on.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 21
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    dysamoria said:
    I'd love to do this but Facebook is unfortunately one of the only ways to keep casually connected to a lot of people who live far from me. I have no local "tribe" of my own, so I use social media to try to find some kinship on the internet instead. I'm not nearly alone in wanting to not be alone, while living, trapped, in a region filled almost exclusively with ideologically-opposite types of people. For people in my situation, it's not about trying to find an echo chamber or avoiding differing opinions; I'm swamped in them. It's about trying to feel like a member (rather than an unwanted outsider) of any part of society at all.
    I like email and the occasional text. There is absolutely no reason I need to know what a friend or family member ate for lunch, nor do I need to see every single thing they or their friends do or think.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 21
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,255member
    I won’t delete my account because it is a way for people to reach me who might not otherwise be able to reach me. Occasionally (very rarely but it does happen), I actually do want to communicate with those types of people. 

    BUT — I never post anything, read anything, or otherwise use in any way anything on FB. I just have the account as a way for people to reach me. 

    it’s kind of like my landline. I never answer the phone, I send all messsages to voicemail. Maybe 1 out of 500 messages isn’t crap — is something I actually pay attention to. 

    Same goes for my gmail account. It’s the e-mail I give to businesses. Actual humans that I want to talk to get my iCloud address. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 21
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    We didn't make the article political, and neither will you. I don't give a crap who used the data, and that's not the point of this article, at all.

    If you can't see your comment, re-read the commenting guidelines.
    edited March 2018 beowulfschmidtwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 21
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    dcgoo said:
    dysamoria said:
    I'd love to do this but Facebook is unfortunately one of the only ways to keep casually connected to a lot of people who live far from me. I have no local "tribe" of my own, so I use social media to try to find some kinship on the internet instead. I'm not nearly alone in wanting to not be alone, while living, trapped, in a region filled almost exclusively with ideologically-opposite types of people. For people in my situation, it's not about trying to find an echo chamber or avoiding differing opinions; I'm swamped in them. It's about trying to feel like a member (rather than an unwanted outsider) of any part of society at all.
    I don't mean to pick on dysamoria, but this thinking absolutely stuns me.   I am really shocked to discover some people are that dependent on the platform.  I m beginning to understand I'm afraid.  I am really glad I never signed on.
    I think Facebook is much more than how you see it. I am not defending FB in the face of how it is now being challenged and I agree the platform needs some very serious oversight and probably regulation. Perhaps not the just FB but the whole issue of data privacy / collection. Clearly FB needs to be taken to task, here. BUT, social networking on a more basic level is great, and very very useful. FB has pretty much taken over what usenet newsgroups used to do. There are thousands of Groups on FB that cater to special interests, and where niche and often high level discussions take place. If you are still on FB just search for Vinatge Bicycles (I am not a bicyclist :smile: , but for some reason that is what I searched for), and then select Groups as a filter. There are LOTS of Groups dedicated to Vintage Bicycles and many of them have several thousand members. There are groups for every interest under the sun. I am a member of a few and I cant see an alternative going forward.
  • Reply 17 of 21
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    ?...
    Facebook is once again in the news for not-very-positive reasons, this time due to a series of news stories related to its relationship with the polling and data mining outfit Cambridge Analytica, and specifically the way CA improperly used a large cache of Facebook users' data, without permission, in connection with the 2016 presidential election.


  • Reply 18 of 21
    I deleted my facebook account 2 years ago and got my life back instantly. The reason i did it was because that sob zuckerberg bought whatsapp and i knew it was only a question of tume before i started getting spammed with shit on my phone as a result of fb selling peoples cell phone numbers to the highest bidders. No wonder  fb wants you to enter your mobile not for the reason they tell you ! You are the product being sold and as far as im concerned zuckerberg can go fuck himself.  i hope he goes to jail and gets whats coming to him
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 21
    kent909kent909 Posts: 731member
    This tip is like telling someone where to buy a fire extinguisher after their house burned down. It is amazing how some express that they cannot live without some form of technology, even though  they lived without it for most of their lives. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 21

    Don't forget to delete the app itself, along with Messenger, and search for Facebook cookies on your computer and phone and delete those as well.  You'll also need to reregister with those apps and websites to which you originally registered using your Facebook credentials.  In some cases, this might mean creating a new account entirely.

    Lastly, you'll likely need to block facebook.com, and any sites associated with it, entirely so as to avoid the Facebook tracking cookies that many other sites save to your machine.

    I'm sure there's stuff I've forgotten.

    watto_cobra
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