I smile when people claim they have deleted their Facebook data.
Is it even possible?
Unless you do it right.
Watch Domain 2 CISSP As An Art if you want to learn more about data sanitization methods.
There is a method to delete.
And still you cannot guarantee.
Before you delete your Facebook data, you have to understand what happens under the hood.
You can either deactivate your FB which temporary hides your profile.
Or you can permanently delete your Facebook data which takes up to 120 days.
Facebook offers 30 days grace period to export your photos or reactivate in case if you change your mind.
The actual deletion after grace period takes 90 days.
That’s not the end of the story.
Meta, a parent company owns Facebook.
The Facebook data is replicated across the globe for redundancy, performance and back-up.
Meta takes another 180 days to delete your data.
Your data is still alive for 300 days after you click the delete permanently button on Facebook.
So do you think all of your data is disposed?
No.
Your personal details are removed but the messages you sent to your friends still remain.
The details about you that your friend posted via tagging also remains.
Some of the data need to be retained for legal, audit and regulatory compliance such as IP Address, timestamps and your activities.
There is a high possibility of your data in one of the back-up distributed servers anywhere in the world.
Meta has wider umbrella for other companies like What’s App, Instagram, Threads so I would not be surprised if some of the data is replicated between the platforms.
What about the games and ads you interacted on Facebook?
Your data was shared with 3rd party advertisers and partners for marketing purpose.
How do you address your privacy if someone uploads their data that has your information?
You don’t have any control on such profile.
You are somewhat in control to request data deletion if you are living in Europe.
You can thank to GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) that gives you legal right to delete subject to specific conditions and exceptions.
The advancement of technology has made data deletion a mystery!
In reality, deletion should not be a button but a governed process.