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Deleting a Facebook account

Published 2007-07-24 by Hugh

Steve explores what it takes to delete your Facebook account (and all the data in there). Says the helpful Lucy of the Facebook Team:

Hi Steven,
If you deactivate, your account is removed from the site. However, we save all your profile content (friends, photos, interests, etc.), so if you want to reactivate sometime, your account will look just the way it did when you deactivated. If you do want your information completely wiped from our servers, we can do this for you. However, you need to remove all profile content before we can do this. Once you have cleared your account, let us know and we’ll take care of the rest.

Thanks for contacting Facebook,

Lucy
Customer Support Representative
Facebook

This means there is a function to “deactivate” your account, leaving all info intact… but there is no standard function to delete your account. For that you must a) remove all profile content*, and b) contact Facebook directly.

*Now what Lucy doesn’t explicitly say here, though she informs Steve later in the conversation, is that “removing all your profile content (friends, photos, interests, etc.) means deleting, one-by-one every single thing in on your facebook page (minifeed items, little widgety things like movie reviews, friends, etc). Which, if you’ve been at it for a while, could take hours and hours.

Thanks, Facebook.

Read more about Steve’s adventures with Facebook’s privacy policy.

Read more posts about web

57 Comments

  1. Miriam Silknetter Miriam Silknetter 2007-08-06

    I would like my facebook account deleted please and can you send me a note the it is delete please thanks.

    sweetascake30@aim.com

    Miriam

  2. Jenna Jenna 2007-08-07

    can you please delete my facebook

  3. rodney noble veinotte rodney noble veinotte 2007-08-30

    please remove me from facebook, i can’t access my account and tired of waiting for correspondance from facebook about password.

  4. Kenneth Kenneth 2007-09-01

    Can you show me how to permanently delete my facebook account because I don’t like it anymore? Thanks.

  5. Hugh Hugh 2007-09-02

    sorry folks i have no idea how to delete a facebook account.

  6. Mervi Mervi 2007-09-27

    You CAN delete your facebook account – by emailing the tech support and requesting it to be done. They will ask *you* to first delete “all profile content” and then email them again about it. So it’s not as easy as it should be, but can be done.

  7. Hugh Hugh 2007-09-27

    right:
    “there is no standard function to delete your account. For that you must a) remove all profile content*, and b) contact Facebook directly”

  8. melissa melissa 2007-10-29

    Hi there,can you please remove me fron Facebook.

    Please notify me on my email ad:melissa@computron.za.net

  9. carol beal carol beal 2007-10-31

    please delete all my details from facebook

  10. melissa melissa 2007-11-01

    Please delete my facebook….

  11. Facebook Guy Facebook Guy 2007-11-05

    Hugh,

    Please delete me from facebook.

    After that, please delete me from the gene pool as I am too stupid to own a computer and cannot read simple paragraphs….plus, I have completely missed the point of your post.

    Please send an e-mail to: donut@hotmail.com to confirm when you’ve delete me. ASAP.

    Regards

  12. yeah you heard me yeah you heard me 2007-11-05

    What a bunch of friggin retards

  13. More Trees, Less Bush More Trees, Less Bush 2007-11-05

    Oooh, well done Steve, a cutting and incisive expose there of the dark underbelly of facebook, cos like we were all waiting to find out facebook was really a conthpirathy.

    I’m wondering how I can delete Steve from teh internetz?

    I’d gladly take the time to delete him bit by bit even if it took hours, cos it would be one less sad fucker cluttering up teh internetz and ting dem, yeah?

  14. Ms. F Ms. F 2007-11-05

    Wow, some of the people who’ve commented on this entry don’t have much by way of reading comprehension, do they?

  15. hughmcguire.net · blog commenters hughmcguire.net · blog commenters 2007-11-06

    […] every once in a while I post something that seems to attract attention from strangers. This post about Steve’s experience trying to delete a Facebook account, for instance, keeps getting new […]

  16. Hugh Hugh 2007-11-06

    I find the whole thing mysterious… where are you all coming from??

  17. Paul Paul 2007-11-16

    Please delete my face. And teach me how to read a book.

  18. lol lol 2007-12-21

    Hahahahahaha,
    The comments rule.

  19. Yvon Ouellet Yvon Ouellet 2008-01-12

    can’t stand having to go through so much garbage, such as email, pass word etc…

  20. Tammy Tammy 2008-02-08

    Can you please delete my Facebook account and send me an e-mail when this is done?

  21. Hugh Hugh 2008-02-08

    yes tammy I am on it. i’ll let you know.

  23. KAVINDU KAVINDU 2008-03-19

    i want to delete my facebook account.

  24. Hugh Hugh 2008-03-20

    dude, i feel your pain.

  25. KAVINDU KAVINDU 2008-04-11

    i want to no da way to delet my face book account

  26. stephanie stephanie 2008-04-23

    how did i delet my bacebook account can i do that?

  27. emma emma 2008-09-17

    can u delete me from face book pleze fanksxxx

  28. Natasha Koopman Natasha Koopman 2008-10-08

    Please delete me from facebook thanks.

  29. Hugh Hugh 2008-10-10

    yes for everyone wanting their facebook account deleted, i’m on it, i’ll report back if i’m successful.

  30. lolita granita lolita granita 2008-10-20

    delete my account and all information from the facebook

  32. dina dina 2009-01-13

    i think my account got permanently deleted when i changed my contact email, cus it says my old one isn’t registered anymore . Is it really gone forever?

  33. Rhonda Lillian Baker Rhonda Lillian Baker 2009-05-11

    Please can you delete me from facebook.
    Thank’s Rhonda

  34. Neeru Iyer Neeru Iyer 2009-05-16

    =D This is SO freakin’ funny! What DO they all think you’re trying to say?! If the post wasn’t funny enough, the comments make up for it. Hell, am I glad I’m NOT on facebook!

    P.S. Are you REALLY working on *all* these requests? :O
    :P

  35. angie french angie french 2009-08-14

    dont want to be on face boook no more delete me

  36. Billie Mitchell Billie Mitchell 2009-09-19

    Please cancel my account from Facebook and send me an e-mail for confirmation! Thank you.

  37. Charlie Charlie 2009-11-10

    I want facebook to remove me from there site.

  39. norma carey norma carey 2009-12-14

    delete me from facebook why is it so difficult to do so

  41. Barstow Cowboy Barstow Cowboy 2009-12-21

    I don’t see why someone can’t delete me from Facebook

    Please remove me from Facebook

    Facebook is run by spooks

    Why are so many people obsessed with sharing every goddamn little portion of their fucking average ass lives

    Facebook

  42. Seb Seb 2009-12-22

    I LOLed.

  43. Thelma Kaufman Lennhoff Thelma Kaufman Lennhoff 2009-12-30

    I would like to CANCEL MY ACCOUNT. I no longer want this account. Please notify me when this is done.

  44. jose salguero jose salguero 2010-02-14

    i would like to cancel my account.i no longer want this account.please notify me when this is done.

  45. Georgette Lavoie Georgette Lavoie 2010-04-13

    Please delete me from facebook,as i am not intereste and never got the hang of it. Thank you

  46. Ida Lind Simonsen Ida Lind Simonsen 2010-05-09

    Hey. I have two accounts both in my name and I’m unable to remeber the email for the other one. I’ve sendt a message to Facebook… about a year a go, so I hope you can help me delete everything about me (Ida Lind Simonsen) from Facebook. I no longer want these accounts and I do NOT wish to retive them eaither so please get rid of everything about me on Facebook. From A-Z and so forth.

    Please do it as fast as possible and send me an e-mail at Idalindsimonsen@live.com as soon as this is done.

    Thanks. You saved my day. :D

  47. Ida Lind Simonsen Ida Lind Simonsen 2010-05-12

    I asked you to delete my Facebook but there is no need.
    Thanks.

  48. tukondjeleni tukondjeleni 2010-06-03

    i am not interested anymore on facebook.please delete my profile on facebook thank you.

  49. Margaret Quek Margaret Quek 2010-06-30

    Please help delete me and all information from facebook account.

    Appreciate it very much! Margaret

  50. Nancy Nancy 2010-07-11

    I would like this e-mail( harleynanc@msn.com )acc taken off facebook I have another acc. and I us that one but I can’ get in to it Nancy

Comments are closed.