Many of us have a vague feeling that we should delete our Facebook account. There are many concrete reasons to do so — from political firms being allowed to manipulate voters to major data breaches — but the social media giant doesn’t seem unique in its transgressions. Privacy invasion is the name of the game in today’s tech-infused world, so it’s easy to see these violations as an unavoidable evil.
Steve Wozniak feels differently. The Apple cofounder was recently asked by TMZ if people should delete their Facebook and Instagram accounts, to which he responded, “ … my recommendation is — to most people — you should figure out a way to get off Facebook.”
The advice isn’t surprising coming from Wozniak. As Gizmodo notes, he deleted his personal account “just three weeks after the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke in March of 2018.” His goodbye message on the platform noted that the service brought him “more negatives than positives.”
In the recent video interview, Wozniak does add a caveat, saying, “There are many different kinds of people, and [for] some the benefits of Facebook are worth the loss of privacy.” But if someone who cofounded one of the most influential tech companies of all time doesn’t find it worth it, who does? In short: Advertisers.
But Wozniak doesn’t limit his disdain to Facebook alone. He also posits that your smartphone and Amazon Alexa device could be listening to you at anytime.
This isn’t the first time a high-profile user has warned the public about the social media platform. Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk and WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton are just a few of Facebook’s critics who have also deleted their own accounts.
The problem with deleting your account? It’s no longer just a way to post vacation photos. It’s a necessity for many people — a messaging service, news aggregator, event planner and, most importantly, birthday reminder. Lucky for you, we put together a guide to replace everything Facebook does for you.
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