Why I deleted my Facebook account

Usually I don't like these "why I left [company]" post. However, for this one it struck a nerve. I am not even on Facebook and since about a week ago receive emails along the line "Jan see what [real friend of mine]" has posted. I flagged is as Spam in this is where the emails now land. But WTF is going on ? This is a severe intrusion of my privacy. What's next. Install camera's wherever I physically go ? Is that the drone plan?

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#6

Post by smnscu » Fri, Jul 07, 2017, 6:47 AM UTC

I was a huge facebook fan early days, I used to own facebook.com/, going as far as using their email address extensively. While I'm somewhat of a privacy activist (Lavaboom, Oakmail) the real reason I deleted my Facebook account (several times...) is that I simply hate the clutter I feel it adds to my life. I barely care for 10-15 people in my life, yet Facebook makes me fill in my boredom with trite details about quasi-strangers.

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#7

Post by em3rgent0rdr » Fri, Jul 07, 2017, 6:48 AM UTC

"Facebook tracks posts and comments even before you post them...sending form data surreptitiously is morally wrong, and everyone knows it..."

protip: you can access FB without javascript via https://mbasic.facebook.com/ and you don't have to worry about such concerns. (I learned this from a Stallman video.)

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#8

Post by dontlie » Fri, Jul 07, 2017, 6:48 AM UTC

I stopped using facebook when i graduated from college, i couldnt accept to have my whole life archived somewhere in the internet.

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#9

Post by dontlie » Fri, Jul 07, 2017, 6:49 AM UTC

I stopped using facebook when i graduated from college, i couldnt accept to have my whole life archived somewhere in the internet.

Re: Why I deleted my Facebook account

#10

Post by grx » Fri, Jul 07, 2017, 6:49 AM UTC

It's too late to join the Leaving Facebook party. If you were a regular user since 2005 and leave now, it does not make any difference anymore. The collected data about you is enough to interpolate your profile for the next decades.

Of course, decentralization is a valid point and it's really important to get people who are kinda "new" to social media on distributed platforms. Twitter is centralized as well and also tracks with buttons and scripts. We need critical masses for e.g. XMPP and OStatus platforms like Mastodon.

This of course also applies to mobile clients like WhatsApp.