After Facebook's major data breach came to light, some users of the platform have responded by deleting the app entirely. Actor Will Ferrell is just the latest to scrap the social media giant altogether, posting a message on his official Facebook fan page that he would be deleting it in 72 hours in light of the privacy scandal, Business Insider reports. Ferrell wanted his fans and followers to see the message, which is why he didn't delete immediately and directly cited the Cambridge Analytica data breach and treatment of the scandal's whistleblower as his reasons for leaving the site.
"I know I am not alone when I say that I was very disturbed to hear about Cambridge Analytica's misuse of millions of Facebook users' information in order to undermine our democracy and infringe on our citizens' privacy," Ferrell said in the post. "I was further appalled to learn that Facebook's reaction to such a violation was to suspend the account of the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower."
Earlier this month, details surfaced that British data firm Cambridge Analytica gathered the information of 50 million Facebook users in order to help influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. The company whistleblower, Christopher Wylie, had his own Facebook account suspended once the news came out. Facebook also suspended Cambridge Analytica, who Wylie has also alleged poisoned his predecessor.
The scandal prompted a #DeleteFacebook hashtag across social media, but some users wanted to dig a bit deeper into what the platform keeps stored about them. Though you've been able to do this for quite some time, users have been downloading their Facebook history and discovering that not only were calls, texts, and personal contacts being tracked, but photos and videos were also saved despite being deleted or never uploaded in the first place.
Other celebrities have stopped using Facebook as well, including fellow actor and comedian Jim Carrey, who said he was also dumping his stock in the company. Cher, Elon Musk, and brands like Playboy and Pep Boys have all deleted Facebook recently as well. So far, the company has lost $70 billion since news of the data breach broke, and with high-profile names calling it quits with the platform, it's likely to continue to go downhill from here.
