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How to permanently delete your Facebook account

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Re: How to permanently delete your Facebook account

#231

Post by hetspookjee »

sgregnt wrote: post #207
classified wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They lie about everything else, why would this be different?

How this exageration contributes to a discussion here? It is very popular now to bash facebook. This kind of herd conformism and unsubstantiated claims are harming hacker news community in my humble opinion. If you do not bring new evidence or ideas, please refrain from exaggerated accusations.

Ah please. It can easily be found in the record that almost every statement made by Facebook is a lie or not truthful. Just one influential for me is the promise not to do anything with WhatsApp and Facebook. Incredibly naive at the time to approve that acquisition on the pinky swear they’d hold their word. At this stage I’m astounded by any official taking the word of Facebook. Their incentives to spin are insurmountable.

Re: How to permanently delete your Facebook account

#232

Post by egypturnash »

emptyfile wrote: post #55
zionic wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is so strange, no one in my social circle uses WhatsApp or has ever asked me to use it to talk to them. It’s all iMessage, Snapchat, and a growing group of people on Signal.

I don't even know what iMessage is.

Apple's SMS/IM client. Only available on Apple operating systems.

Re: How to permanently delete your Facebook account

#233

Post by Nextgrid »

sgregnt wrote: post #201
dleslie wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This all seems to be problems for them surveillance capitalist, and not the user.

Is facebook here different than other apps? If you publically post something on internet, good luck trying to delete it...

Facebook collects way more data than what you choose to publish. Not to mention, if you want to delete something, Facebook should delete it. Whether other third-parties archive it is beyond scope.

Re: How to permanently delete your Facebook account

#234

Post by dotancohen »

bborud wrote: post #225
dotancohen wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who implements these types of requirements, this suggestion just adds complexity where none is needed. In the software, and the database, and the backup strategy, and for the average user. Complexity requires time, money, and introduces bugs and user error. Right now we are required by law to remove user data upon request (Europe). That law is strong enough to cover those who need it.

Are you suggesting that not inconveniencing developers is more important than a right to privacy? I'd have to disagree with you if this is the case. I've worked both for companies that fall under extra scrutiny by government due to market position and for companies that deal with data that has strict retention limits. Yes, it increases complexity, but the laws that seek to protect people's privacy are far more import…

  > Are you suggesting that not inconveniencing developers
  > is more important than a right to privacy?
I would very much appreciate if you could show me which of my words led you to that conclusion. Thank you.

Re: How to permanently delete your Facebook account

#235

Post by bookofjoe »

jasode wrote: post #126
raxxorrax wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> because others don't care to switch to reach you. I don't think it is worth holding contact in that case. Contrary to popular belief is that you don't miss out on anything. Business contacts are another matter, but every professional understands if you want to use other channels. Same principle applies. If they don't make the effort, it wasn't a good contact anyway, although there are side effects because convinien…

>I don't think it is worth holding contact in that case. That's a common counterargument that's similar to "then I guess they weren't very good friends, were they?!?" -- but oversimplifies the complexity of social life. It's not a simple binary dichotomy between "very good friends" and "no friends". People also have an in-between status of "weak ties" that are mutually beneficial : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter…

Remember Klout?

Re: How to permanently delete your Facebook account

#236

Post by naivsdaya »

hetspookjee wrote: post #227
hdhdbid1 wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its funny, lot of the responses for this thread are investing my retirement money and profiting off it is fine, using products/services of such companies is fine, but working there, that's where I draw the line, that's just morally wrong. Its a lot of I'll draw the line where I want to and belittle others who do it differently.

Well I think there’s quite the difference any. A regular user of Facebook is worth roughly tens of euros. But working there rewards you with a salary that’s easily upwards of 200k. Given that they’re not losing money if you, you could consider yourself as one of the few power users around by providing a value to evil corp north of your salary. So I think you can definitely differentiate between a regular user contrib…

So it is morally wrong but only above a $ amount? :)

Anyway, the irony is interesting, some people on HN unable to control the urge to tell a stranger on the internet that he/she is morally inferior without considering how it makes them feel, while blaming another platform for similar effects and how it negatively impacts people.

Re: How to permanently delete your Facebook account

#237

Post by shrimpx »

Le_Dook wrote: post #115
swamp-agr wrote: post #47

The situation is quite interesting here. - Imagine, you're living outside of USA/UK/Europe. - Formally, it's possible to proceed with "Permanently delete my account". - You will even receive email assuring you that two weeks later profile would be completely deleted. - Then, couple years later you'll occasionally seen email from facebook that someone tried to log in into your ("permanently deleted") account. - You'll…

I live in Ireland. A while after GDPR came into effect, I went about deleted a Microsoft account I didn't use anymore. Deleted it on the site, contacted support to request all data be wiped. Done. About 3 years later I get an email that it was accessed and they disabled it for illegal activity. Deleted it in the site, contacted support to request all data be wiped. Honestly think it's more worthwhile to just change t…

I now actively avoid signing up for services unless I really really need to, just to avoid this mess. These shady deletion practices effectively kill new signups — in my case, at least.

Re: How to permanently delete your Facebook account

#238

Post by dahart »

flipbrad wrote: post #221
dahart wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean “upheld”? The story in your link describes the company refusing to comply and then ends. It’s true that you don’t have to be currently living in the EU to invoke your GDPR rights if you’re an EU citizen traveling abroad, or if you’re a foreign citizen traveling or residing in the EU. GDPR applies to companies that market to people in the EU or do business in the EU. BUT - GDPR is an EU law, it does n…

You're quite wrong. GDPR can apply to citizens in the US, and the link I posted shows the ICO enforcing it in their favour. SCL Elections Ltd was taken to court and then fined £15,000 for not complying with that US resident's request. https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/news-and-events/news-and-bl... I expect that US resident could also have brought a civil lawsuit, at least in UK courts, for damages. The EU and UK GDPR…

Yes it can apply to US citizens in certain cases, I thought I agreed with you on that, did I not? It’s still a fact that GDPR does not always (or even normally) apply to US residents doing business with US companies. UK courts have no authority over US companies operating only in the US with US residents who aren’t traveling abroad. Cambridge Analytica is a British company, that is why GDPR applies to them. So yes, I was wrong to conclude prematurely based on your link that this example is one where the company was legally entitled to refuse to comply. But the take-home message doesn’t change - GDPR doesn’t automatically apply to non-EU residents or non-EU companies, unless or until one or both parties has some EU involvement.

Re: How to permanently delete your Facebook account

#239

Post by SavantIdiot »

winternett wrote: post #182
xadhominemx wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> An unregulated private company asking you for official government documentation and your real name is definitely tracking you in my opinion. This is nothing unusual? It’s extremely common for a private company to request identify verification

Sure, for a dentist or doctor's visit, it's totally reasonable. But if you were asked for your ID every time you bought a burger at McDonalds, it would be considered suspect and a potential privacy invasion by most. The same is the case with social media. They don't need your government ID, and they're not authorized to demand it like the health care industry is.

We've already agreed in the TOU for our credit cards that the debtor/merchant is entitled to access to information about you from your credit card company. It is far more intrusive than government ID, yet people freak the fuck out about ID but swipe their VISA 10,000 times per second.

This is how Scientology tracked me for almost three decades even after I changed addresses a dozen times. I bought something from them once on Visa, and they constantly got updates on my personal info.

How are you OK with VISA and not OK with ID on a social media site when the former is far worse than the latter?

We've already given up privacy.

Please help me understand if I'm wrong. I'd like to not be so cynical.

Re: How to permanently delete your Facebook account

#240

Post by SavantIdiot »

I am curious as to what happens to the data.

This is why we need whistleblowers. It could be very easy for Facebook to knowingly keep this information and just make it a trade secret. The risk of being exposed for lying probably doesn't matter since there are so many ways around it without "lying".

But who am I kidding. I would love to know which private company has the most personal info:

- Lexis Nexis,

- West Law,

- Cellphone companies,

- TRW (credit rating companies)

- VISA (Amex, Mastercard), or

- Facebook

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