How to permanently delete your Facebook account

Reader Amy Campbell has had enough. She writes:

I just heard that Facebook not only tracks everything you post, but also things you’ve chosen not to. That’s a little too creepy for me and I want to delete my account. How do I do that?

According to a report by Jennifer Goldbeck written for Slate, Facebook does indeed keep tabs on when people enter text in the Facebook browser interface and then choose to not share it (a practice the company terms “self censorship). However—again according to the Slate article—the company doesn’t collect the text you type, only when you fail to share it.

If this specific behavior creeps you out you might instead choose to compose your Facebook messages in a text editor. When you’re sure that you want to share them, paste that text into your browser and post. That will prevent the service from tracking aborted messages. However, if this is a “last straw” kind of decision, read on.

I left Facebook nearly four years ago because of its casual attitude toward its users’ privacy and nothing I’ve seen since has convinced me that this was a mistake. So, I sympathise. Fortunately, it’s easy to leave.

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here