Facebook has a long history of using your data and browsing habits to provide highly effective advertising.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Facebook’s vice president of product management, Mona Eltahawy, said that the company is “actively working to make sure that all our data is protected and private.” She added that the company has been “very clear about our values and what we want from our users.” However, over the past few years there have been a series of leaks and whistleblowers who have made it very apparent how Facebook collects data from its users. These leaks have shown how Facebook is not only collecting data on its users but also tracking their movements and activities. This has caused a lot of concern among users who are concerned about their privacy.
If you want to keep your personal data protected, you may have to take additional steps beyond simply deactivating your account.
Facebook has become pretty transparent about the type of data they’ve collected and also provide easy access to tools you can use to manage that data.
Download & Delete Facebook Data
- Log in to Facebook
- Click on the three lines in the top left corner of your screen (the blue arrowheads) and select “Data Usage”
- Scroll down and click on the “Delete Data” button
- Enter your desired information and click on the “Delete Data” button
Step 2. Select Settings. Step 3. Under General, click Account Settings. Step 4. On the Account Settings page, under Security Settings, click Edit Profile Picture. Step 5. Click the drop-down menu next to your profile picture and select Change Image. Step 6. Click the link that appears in the window that opens and select a new image to use as your profile picture. ..
Step 3. Choose an account. Step 4. Choose a payment method. Step 5. Enter your credit card information.
Step 3. On the left side of the screen, select Your Facebook Information. On the left side of the screen, select Your Facebook Information. This will take you to a new window where you can see all of your Facebook information, including your profile picture, cover photo, posts, and friends list. ..
After you have completed the form, you will be redirected to a page where you can download your information. ..
On the next screen, click on the New File button. In the new file dialog, enter a name for your file and click on the OK button. Your file is now created!
Step 6. Once your file is processed, Facebook will send you a notification. This can take a little while depending on how long you’ve been on Facebook and how active you have been on the site and around the web. However, it shouldn’t take more than an hour or two in most cases. ..
When the file is finished processing, you’ll receive a notification on the website that the file is ready for downloading. You can then download a full file of all of Facebook’s information. This is great for collecting information you’d like to save before deleting your Facebook account, or even if you just want to be able to easily sort through the content the site has amassed over the years. ..
We can look at Facebook’s privacy settings to see how much data the company is collecting about us. We can also see how Facebook is using this data to target ads.
Step 7. Click Activity Log.
This page is a record of everything you’ve done on the website. You can see all your posts, comments, and reactions to every post on the site. You can also use the Activity Log Filters to find information you’re interested in more easily. ..
To view who is seeing your posts and photos, click on the “Who’s Seeing This” icon on the left. To delete specific entries from your log, click on the “Delete” icon on the right. ..
If you want to completely delete your Facebook account and all the information associated with it, that’s an option too! Head back to the Facebook Information screen and click Delete Your Account and Information. ..
Confirming your Facebook settings will allow you to access Messenger and other Facebook-related features. If you’d like to completely cut off Facebook, hit Delete Account at the bottom right of this window. ..
We highly recommend that you remove your Facebook account and data permanently, as there is no going back after this point in the process. We recommend downloading your Facebook information through the process in steps 4-6 so you have a copy of any memories you’d like to keep for the future.
Overall, Facebook has come across as shady when it comes to how they handle their users’ data. However, if you’re willing to do a little bit of digging, you can access that data.
Many people don’t realize that Facebook is also the owner of Instagram. If you want to remove your data from Facebook’s servers, you’ll need to avoid using Instagram.
It’s inconvenient to have to cut out two of the biggest social networks on the web, but for those who want better control over the way their personal information is used, it’s well worth a couple hours of effort to take a look at the collected data and ensure you’re as well-informed as possible. Enjoy!
