Delete Your Facebook Account: 'Quit Facebook Day' Wants Users To Leave

As controversy swells around Facebook's latest changes to its privacy policy--which is now longer than the Constitution and offers some 50 settings and over 170 options--users' interest in deleting their Facebook accounts has soared.

A group of dissatisfied Facebook users have teamed up in an effort to organize a mass, coordinated exodus from Facebook--and they're using social networks to do it.

Their site, QuitFacebookDay.com, asks users to "commit to quit" Facebook on May 31 by signing their name or Twitter handle to the list of pledges.

The cause has attracted several hundred pledges--about 780 at the time of writing.

There's also a Facebook Page devoted to the planned exit.

"If you agree that Facebook doesn't respect you, your personal data or the future of the Web, you may want to join us," QuitFacebookDay.com explains.

For those who oppose Facebook's new privacy policy, but find "Quit Facebook Day" too extreme, there is an alternative that doesn't require immediately letting go of Facebook-based online social connections, photos or videos.

Facebook Protest seeks to challenge Facebook's recent push for more openness by proposing a boycott of Facebook services on June 6.

"Facebook's real customer is the advertisers that they work with: NOT YOU," Facebook Protest's official statement reads. The soon-to-be protesters also ask participants to:

commit to not logging in or interacting with Facebook in any way. Be sure to log out of Facebook in all of your browsers no later than the evening of June 5th. On the 6th, be sure to not use Facebook connect or click any "Like" buttons: basically refrain from ALL Facebook related activity.

The movement already has a following on Twitter (@FacebookProtest), and even has its own Facebook Event page.

On the other hand, if you want to delete your Facebook account without waiting until May 31 (or June) here's how.

Click here for a recap of Facebook's big privacy changes and what they mean.

Check out a list of Facebook's latest security features, and then watch a video of how to fix your Facebook profile's privacy settings in two minutes.

Quick Poll

Are you going to delete your Facebook account?

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Yes.

Undecided.

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Comments

[jcabowers]

09:48 PM on 06/16/2010

Hey, I am really, really interested in everybody progress in Farmville.

[harmonikasavingsbonds]

08:34 PM on 06/07/2010

I had to leave Facebook.

I could not STAND useless, insipid updates about the minutae of people's lives.
You just got up?
I need to know that why?

If I wanted to say "Hello" I would pick up the godd amn phone.

[Bama Girl]

10:39 AM on 06/07/2010

Wow glad I have never set up a Twitter, Facebook or even myspace account.... Sorry I like the internet and all, but I'm not willing to put my information out there to just about anyone....

[itayhotmail]

01:33 PM on 06/03/2010

I totally agree!

[ebjoram]

09:24 AM on 05/31/2010

Wow. It seems to me that I am the only person left on the planet without a facebook, myspace, google, yahoo, etc., etc., account. I did sign up for twitter a while back but don't really use it. I think that these sites are just unnecessary invasions of privacy. Why are so many so willing to give that up? You are not going to find friends on the internet! At most, you may connect with someone with whom you share common interest(s). That does not a friend make. And to put your entire life out there like that is just crazy.

[spcfish]

09:40 AM on 06/04/2010

You're not the only one. I have a Gmail account for personal use but don't use any of the Google's social networking services. I don't have a facebook, a myspace, or a twitter. Nor will I ever.

And, I'm in my mid-twenties, not some septuagenarian hanging on to 1950. There's a small but growing group of us who feel no need to be constantly plugged in.

[johnhuffy]

06:49 PM on 05/30/2010

A facebook account is prima facie evidence that you are stupid. C'mon people, they are nothing but a data mining operation.

[Glacier]

06:51 PM on 05/21/2010

I have always used a fake name on facebook and everyone would make fun of me. Now, everybody tells me what a good idea it is and that they wish they would have done that too! Personally, I don't understand why people are all the sudden up and arms about facebook privacy. It has ALWAYS been insecure...if you don't want certain personal information to leak, then don't post it on the internet...ANYWHERE!

[SiO2]

10:59 AM on 05/21/2010

I tried to delete my personal information twice yesterday, and facebook wouldn't allow me too (perhaps server error?), so I just said "f it" and deleted it. I will reactivate it today and join this group, and then re-delete it on May 31st.

[Chicke Fitzgerald]

09:15 AM on 05/20/2010

Having been the founder of a software company that provides roadtrip planning capabilities to consumers free of charge, relying on advertisers and sponsors for revenue, it is amazing to me that anyone would look at that aspect of Facebook's business as a bad thing. Relying on targeted advertising is what allows us to use such a rich platform free of charge. These companies take many millions of dollars to operate and to continue to build new capabilities, including privacy, is expensive and requires very talented people. The revenue has to come from somewhere, and short of consumers being willing to pay for a subscription, the alternative model is advertising. I find it interesting that with all the talk of leaving Facebook, no one has really said where they are going to go to get the same capabilities to connect, speak, share, etc. It will be interesting to see how the proposed boycott and mass exodus goes.

[BarryWolk]

09:20 AM on 05/21/2010

There's a big difference between FaceBook putting ads on my page (which they do) and selling my private contact info to anyone who will pay them. And, BTW, a lot of the ads FaceBook puts on my page 'creeps' me out but I put up w/them so everyone can move along and have a great FaceBook experience. I will cancel my page on May 31st as I feel abused.

[killyourfacebookprofile]

09:38 PM on 05/19/2010

Here is an alternative group, with a later delete date, which raises the potential for longer campaigning and a higher number of deletions.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=122585754426662&ref=ts

[Linda Nelson]

01:26 PM on 05/18/2010

This is all such nonsense. Facebook is an incredible communication tool that we love as independent filmmakers. It lets us connect with and build an audience for our films. When will people learn not to "broadcast" personal information that they don't want the world to see? Where is the personal responsibility on the part of the users. If you don't want your Mom to see it, don't put it on the internet.

[ReedYoung]

01:33 PM on 05/18/2010

I understand the allure of free publicity, but "share by default" is bad programming. It's bad practice at the beginner level. One actually has to revisit "privacy settings" on a regular basis in Facebook to PREVENT sharing information one first posted with restricted permissions. In order not to look like an advertisement, I won't mention my own preferred alternatives, just that other viable alternatives exist which do respect users' privacy.

[theobsoleteman]

12:25 AM on 05/26/2010

I have to admit that the incessant publicity pushing (not suggesting you do this Linda) is one of the things that drove me from sites like myspace and facebook. I totally understand anyone wanting to use whatever tools they can to reach an audience, but sometimes the sheer amount of people trying to get your attention, so often with things you simply are not interested in, can feel like a never ending waterfall of spam, no matter how sincere it is. There is only so much content people can spend their time on, and I think it's natural for some people to feel after a while that it's like everyone is talking but no one is listening. Do you know what I mean? It's kind of like the Andy Warhol quote, but changing it to everybody trying to be famous during the same 15 minutes. I'm certainly not saying some are not deserving, it's just you know, there's only so many hours in a day and after a while it can all be a bit too much, feeling like you are constantly being solicited.

[gx5000]

11:56 AM on 05/18/2010

I never had time for it anyways, and rarely kept any info on there...
What bothered me was the collecting of information on who I knew....
The same people who kept nagging me to create one......(SouthPark got it right...)

Anyways, bye bye !

[spiegelp]

11:30 AM on 05/18/2010

Cancelling your facebook account may not be as easy as you think... They gave me a run around for days. I can't beleive how many people are suckered into having these self indulgent self promoting accounts. The face book profile most people read is their own! Get over yourselves! Stop putting a bull's eye on yourselves that marketers and others who want your money can target. They don't care if you are football captain who slept with half the graduating class, they want your $$$$. They don't care how many facebook friends you have, they want your facebook friends for themselves, why do you think they ask you to go find new ones? Facebook is destructive and pointless. Face reality, the only person interested in your facebook profile is YOU. Show some humility! Show some self control! Stop making yourself a target! Cancel facebook today!

[Sundance]

06:59 PM on 05/19/2010

The problem is that when I originally signed up for FB one only shared info with your friends and family. For many others it was the same. It has been over the last year that the owners have opened up more and more avenues for advertisers to access our personal information and they have made it more and more difficult for members to opt out. VERY good business for them, very bad for those of us who value or privacy and who enjoy keeping up with friends and family who are far away.

[jbell1652]

11:25 AM on 05/18/2010

I'm on Facebook for light fun, play some games and no more personal info than I would say to someone in the check-out line. I have seen things though that I think, "What an idiot for posting that". Then again I've read things here on HP that expose people for being morons. Ha!

[Ojaswini]

10:51 AM on 05/18/2010

Funny thing is quitting facebook won't make any difference unless we understand the importance of privacy protection on internet. What good thing can possibly happen if you delete your facebook account to publish all your information on some other site?

We should understand that it’s partially the users fault for giving out all the information on any available network on internet without thinking twice. It’s a common sense to have curiosity of trustworthiness and security on sites before sharing stuff. It’s so lame to follow and trust whatever others do without a wee bit of thought on possible serious consequences.

This shouldn't mean as going against facebook but against our ignorance towards the value of privacy. Next time when you are entering something online, affirm it’s a public content without violating your rights and others.

[Sundance]

06:58 PM on 05/19/2010

The problem is that when I originally signed up for FB one only shared info with your friends and family. For many others it was the same. It has been over the last year that the owners have opened up more and more avenues for advertisers to access our personal information and they have made it more and more difficult for members to opt out. VERY good business for them, very bad for those of us who value or privacy and who enjoy keeping up with friends and family who are far away.

[Ojaswini]

07:32 AM on 05/20/2010

Well I'm not a big fan of FB or any social network sites. I feel its nothing but a waste of time...I had an account opened 3 years ago as my best friend insisted with lots of friends and lots of activities requests (1500 something)...I never really had time for that but they didn't understand..they all were like glued on it 24/7 commenting on statuses updates, pics and pokin' when they started posting for me...I told them that I didn't check FB for ages and they freaked out... so I just got annoyed and deleted it. Again I can see more people are being forced to FB for no reason other than their FB addict friends.

But "Privacy" has to be protected by us...we cant expect others to care for it. If you don't have anything really personal in FB you don't need to worry about whoever accessing it. That will be peaceful in mind for users..that's all I want to say for privacy concerned people in FB.