How To Get Off Of Facebook

It is not a matter of having something to hide. It is a matter of having much to protect.

Do you ever procrastinate? I do. In fact the problem on which I am currently spending so much time should have been taken care of last December. I was going to remove myself from the social network known as Facebook. I did not do that in December. So, not only am I now paying the consequence of putting that task off, but I am also torturing myself wondering how much further along I would be had I spent the last four months of life in forward motion rather than stagnancy. I think the worst consequence of procrastination is the little slice of life that gets lost on whatever it is we choose to delay. However, this post is not about procrastination.

This post is about freeing yourself from the electronic leash known as social networking, particularly Facebook.

The fire was finally lit for me to remove my presence from Facebook after the most recent changes (April 2010) in Facebook’s Privacy Policy. I use the term “privacy” loosely in reference to Facebook because their privacy policy is becoming wholly the opposite. As I began looking into the global, long-term consequences of my continuing to allow Facebook to pass along my personal information at their will, I learned that the ramifications of doing so are very disturbing. I am finally in the process of making that change. I say process because I have made some wonderful connections on Facebook and I do not want to lose them. So, I am gathering their contact information and placing it in a personal database before deleting myself entirely.



Simply stated, by using Facebook you give them permission to disseminate your personal information, along with the personal information of your friends/family to third-party websites. (See Facebook's Data Grab: New Policies Transfer Control of User Data to Facebook) It sounds fairly harmless until you consider the fact that you do not actually know where or to whom your personal information is being passed along, or the terms of any third-party privacy policies you may be unwittingly agreeing to. You also do not know what those third parties intend to do with your information, either now or in the future, because in the recent policy changes the third parties now have permission from Facebook to keep your information for an unlimited period of time. Finally, the most disturbing change is that you no longer have control over the process. They carefully craft their policy language to make you believe you have complete control over it when in fact, you really do not.

The article, How Do I Delete My Facebook Account? is very helpful for the process. It gives step-by-step instructions regarding how to properly delete a Facebook account. The Facebook pages/process has changed since the article was written in 2008, but the steps are still relevant and helpful. By no means is this a process for the weak. It will take time and diligence. Did I mention it will take time? I spent approximately 11 hours deleting mine and I was only a member for a little over a year. I am only about 98% deleted and I know that once complete, I will leave behind small portion of personal cyber debris. Therefore, I can only say that I am almost free from the perils of the giant cyber bully.

It is important to note that you must delete your own information from your Facebook account before asking them to delete your account. If you don't, they may retain it indefinitely and may still use it. This deletion process includes every post, photo, message, link, application, “like”, page etc. that you ever attached your profile to. I fully understand why people are willing to pay thousands of dollars to have someone else perform the removal task.

The addiction of being “connected” via social networking is an entirely different matter. While I am still in the throes of withdrawal since it has only been a couple of days for me personally, I can tell you the sense of freedom and relief is overwhelmingly wonderful! So, like any sincere addict, the first step is to realize and admit there is a problem/danger if you continue to "use" the object of your addiction. The second step is to simply lay it down.

If you have ever thought about leaving Facebook, I encourage you to do it now before any further changes take place and it becomes too late to recover your privacy and/or personal information. It is ultimately an individual choice, but should you decide to continue I strongly encourage you to stay current on any policy changes so that you may make an informed decision at any given time.

The benefits of getting off of Facebook? Not only will you get a portion of your real (as opposed to virtual) life back, but you will have taken a significant step in minimizing your cyber fingerprint on a global level, thereby protecting all that you have, and all those you love.

~Solissea