#DeleteFacebook picks up pace in Tamil Nadu

The fallout has also resulted in users deciding to leave Facebook by deleting their profiles. The hashtag #deletefacebook trended across the world in a matter of hours. 

City techie Vishwaguru Sridhar deleted his account and took to Twitter with the hashtag informing other followers to the same. 

“I’ve always had my doubts about the platform, even while maintaining secure privacy settings. Maybe I’ll miss out on a few friends’ birthdays or updates, but that’s a small price to pay for my privacy. Zuckerberg’s acknowledgement of the problem only alarms me more,” he quipped. 

Others don’t believe such actions would help, as decades of using the website cannot be undone with just one simple step. “I believe there is no privacy on Facebook. For example, as a marketer I can reach out to all the women who has mentioned widow or separated in their profile by running ads - isn’t that breaching of privacy? #deletefacebook will only be successful if we could move out of our social media addiction,” social media expert Sorav Jain said. 

To protect oneself from such instances, there are some safeguards. Firstly, one can review all the contents posted in the past and the amount of personal, identifiable information that is available. If the user is uncomfortable, it is advisable to remove them. Facebook also allows users to make past updates private retrospectively. There is also the option to hide your friend list from the public. Any third-party app requesting access must be vetted.