Why I Deleted Facebook
introduceyourself·@mwojteck·
0.000 HBDWhy I Deleted Facebook
Shortly after my vacation to South Beach, I decided to delete my Facebook account. I guess it might have had something to do with the recent data breech scandal (Cambridge Analytica: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/26/the-cambridge-analytica-files-the-story-so-far) that the media has been perpetuating, but that's a mixed bag. I've always wanted to decrease my vulnerability to surveillance, so it doesn't matter if it is a quasi-fascist company like Facebook ("Facistbook") who is most likely supplying at least some amount of the data to NSA and other government agencies. The bottom line is it doesn't matter what you do with my data, it's still an invasion of my privacy. But, if this doesn't bother you, and you are like 98% of Americans, and you have "Nothing to hide" and "they are just going to get the data another way" look at some of the things I found when I downloaded my own Facistbook archive:
The archive contains every message you've ever typed from the beginning of you joining Facistbook. Here is what the archive looks like when you unzip:
If you would like to download an archive to simply have a backup or because you would like to delete your account afterwords and you just can't stand the thought of this data being gone, you can make an archive copy by following these directions: https://www.facebook.com/help/131112897028467
Some might say, yes this is not a surprise, I already knew they gathered this much info on me and I already agreed to give up this privacy already. I'll be honest this is really no big surprise, but knowing that this data is out there for them to sell to the highest bidder or to provide to some ABC government agency with some BS FISA warrent, etc. why not take a serious look at it? Wouldn't it be better to just get rid of it all together? Yes, I know, whatever you put out there is probably there to stay, but there's a point where a fun social media experience (e.g. socializing with friends, sharing photos, etc.) has devolved into a backdoor surveillance apparatus.
Make the decision on your own. I know for me, I've been gone just a week and have noticed an uptick in my happiness, I've socialized more in real life (like in reality) with neighbors, spouse, and friends and have also discovered what looks to be like a great community on Steemit as well.
There was an interesting article I found after requesting deletion which can be found at:
https://futurism.com/delete-facebook-well
Kevin Matthew, who has worked in system administration for over 20 years has written a script that:
“Poisons” your Facebook record, turning your posts into useless, junky strings of random letters. By running it over and over again, a big chunk of your posts will become a fog that the site’s algorithm can’t interpret. Although it’s currently only available to those who code, in the future the script might become an easy-to-use desktop app.
I have not done this, but it might be worth looking into it, particularly if you have data that is of a personal nature (and not just memes and .gifs).
While you are deleting this information from Facistbook (which will take up to 90 days to remove they say) you might as well also look to delete your Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Youtube history, Google+ profile, google maps history (this is pretty scary). Just remember though that although you've deleted the information and disabled location services on your phone, it will still geolocate you and transmit data when a signal is acquired (even if you don't have a sim card inserted).
Short of throwing you devices into a lake, you could purchase the following:
https://www.amazon.com/Black-Hole-Faraday-Bag-Anti-tracking/dp/B0091WILY0
which blocks the cell signals and GPS locator, but there's still an accelerometer on the phone and if they wanted to could try to determine location. The last google maps record I deleted had a record of exactly when I got out of my car, exactly when and how far I walked from the parking lot to work, and my ride home.
Oh you're just being paranoid. Okay, that's fine, but consider this, would your quality of life be better or worse having deleted all this information that's out there? Do you really value it that much? Some who were born in the 2000's don't remember not having a cell phone or a social media profile.
Delete Facistbook, go visit with your neighbors, talk to the people around you, go somewhere you've always wanted to go, have fun and live your life because you only have one. Better to spend it living free.
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