How to: Delete Your Data From Facebook/Meta
Facebook or Meta provides amazing software experiences like Facebook.com, Instagram, and Oculus and libraries like
Docusaurus, which this website is written in. However, the company has built a business on intentionally selling
personal data for profit, with some of those sales controversial. Deciding whether or not to leave Facebook/Meta
products is your decision.
If you decide to delete your Facebook/Meta accounts, here's how:
## Know the difference between deletion and deactivation.
Permanent deletion is not "deactivation", which means that Facebook still retains your data. When prompted with
questions from Facebook always ensure you're deleting not deactivating your account.
The other option is to permanently delete your account. This does everything that deactivating your account does, but it also: deletes your posts, photos, and videos; removes access to Facebook Messenger; removes Facebook Login from other apps; and doesn’t allow for your account to be reactivated. Deleting your account does not delete messages that you have sent to your friends, however. These will still be in their mailbox.
To delete your account:
* Go to your main profile.
* Click the down arrow in the top right of Facebook
* Select “Settings & privacy”
* Click “Settings”
* Click “Your Facebook information” in the left column
* If you don’t see “Your Facebook information” click “Privacy” first and then the option should pop up
* Click “Deactivation and deletion”
* Choose “Permanently Delete Account”
* Click “Continue to account deletion”
* Choose if you would like to download you information before deleting
* Click “Delete Account:
* Enter your Facebook password
* Click “Continue”
This will delete your account, but it won’t happen immediately. It could take up to 90 days for Facebook to delete
everything you have posted. This doesn’t mean these posts are findable by other users searching your name, just that it
may take this long for Facebook to delete everything. However, copies of your information may remain in Facebook’s
“backup storage” after 90 days. Facebook states they may keep your information for things like legal issues, terms
violations, harm prevention efforts, or in the case of a software error or data loss event.
You can cancel an account deletion within 30 days as well. All that is required is you log in and click “Cancel
Deletion.”