#DeleteFacebook
Cambridge Analytica Scandal
March 17, 2018: New York Times and The Guardian published investigations revealing Cambridge Analytica (political consulting firm) harvested data from 87 million Facebook users without consent.
Data was used to build psychological profiles for targeted political ads, including Trump’s 2016 campaign and Brexit Leave campaign.
#DeleteFacebook exploded within hours:
- Elon Musk deleted SpaceX and Tesla Facebook pages
- WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton tweeted “It is time. #DeleteFacebook”
- Cher, Will Ferrell, Jim Carrey among celebrities who quit
Zuckerberg Testimony
April 10-11, 2018: Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress for 10 hours.
Highlights:
- “Senator, we run ads” - Zuckerberg’s response to how Facebook makes money (became meme)
- Senators’ tech illiteracy on display (“How do you sustain a business model where users don’t pay?”)
- Zuck’s booster seat (literally sat on cushion, mocked online)
#ZuckerbergTestimony trended. Clips went viral, but no meaningful regulation passed.
Prior Controversies Fueling Movement
2016 Election Interference
- Russian troll farms spread misinformation via Facebook
- Fake news arguably influenced election outcome
- Facebook denied responsibility initially
Myanmar Genocide (2018)
UN investigators found Facebook “played a determining role” in inciting violence against Rohingya Muslims (700,000+ fled to Bangladesh).
Facebook admitted it “wasn’t doing enough” to stop hate speech in Myanmar.
Emotion Manipulation Experiment (2014)
Researchers manipulated 689,000 users’ News Feeds to test emotional contagion - without informed consent.
Sparked ethics debates about user experimentation.
User Exodus?
Reality Check: Despite hashtag virality:
- Facebook lost 1 million users in North America (Q4 2017 - Q1 2018)
- But gained users globally (2.2 billion → 2.9 billion by 2022)
- Instagram (owned by Facebook/Meta) grew even faster
Youth exodus: Teens/Gen Z shifted to Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram (ironically, Instagram = Facebook).
Subsequent Scandals Reigniting #DeleteFacebook
2019: Hate Speech & Political Ads
October 2019: Zuckerberg defended allowing political lies in ads (wouldn’t fact-check politicians).
Elizabeth Warren, AOC criticized. Warren ran fake ad claiming Zuck endorsed Trump to prove point.
2020: Election Misinformation
Stop the Steal groups proliferated on Facebook despite ban on election misinformation.
Facebook Papers (whistleblower Frances Haugen, 2021) revealed company prioritized engagement over safety.
2021: Instagram & Teen Mental Health
Haugen revealed internal research showing Instagram harms teen girls’ mental health - but Facebook hid findings.
#DeleteInstagram trended alongside #DeleteFacebook.
2022: Roe v. Wade & Data Privacy
After Dobbs decision, activists warned Facebook messages could be used as evidence in abortion prosecutions.
#DeleteFacebook resurged as privacy concern.
Movement Tactics
Data Download
Activists encouraged users to download their data before deleting (shows how much Facebook collects).
Alternative Platforms
Promoted Signal, Mastodon, MeWe as privacy-focused alternatives.
Ad Boycott
#StopHateForProfit (2020): 1,000+ companies paused Facebook ads to pressure company on hate speech moderation.
Facebook’s Response
Rebrand to Meta (2021)
October 2021: Facebook Inc. rebranded to Meta Platforms (focus on metaverse).
Critics called it reputation laundering - distance from Facebook scandals.
Policy Changes (Mostly Performative)
- Third-party app restrictions (post-Cambridge Analytica)
- Political ad transparency tools
- Oversight Board (independent content moderation appeals - critics call it PR)
Regulatory Push
GDPR (Europe)
May 2018: EU’s General Data Protection Regulation imposed strict privacy rules.
Facebook fined billions for violations (€1.2B in 2023 for illegal data transfers).
U.S. Stagnation
Despite hearings, no major federal privacy law passed (as of 2023).
California passed CCPA (2020), CPRA (2023) - state-level privacy protections.
Criticism of Movement
- Privilege: Many can’t delete Facebook (only internet access, business pages, family connections abroad)
- WhatsApp paradox: People deleted Facebook but kept WhatsApp (same company)
- Performative: Deleting account doesn’t stop shadow profiles (Facebook tracks non-users via others’ contact lists)