While it has been almost two years since news of the Cambridge Analytica scandal first broke, WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton still thinks that users should delete Facebook.
At Wired's 25th anniversary summit, Acton told a crowd that others should make their own decisions about leaving the social network though he stands by his decision to leave, saying: “If you want to be on Facebook and you want to have ads thrust in front of you, go to town.”
Acton's fight against Facebook began in March of 2018 when he took to Twitter to tell others “It is time” followed by the hashtag #deletefacebook. When he tweeted that message, Acton had been away from Facebook for more than a year after he stepped down in 2017 over a disagreement regarding monetizing WhatsApp.
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When asked why he decided to make his feelings about the social media giant so public by journalist Steven Levy, Acton explained that when you leave Facebook you just disappear, saying:
“At the time, there was pressure unfolding against Facebook, I was like, maybe it’s time. But then I realized a fatal flaw in Facebook is they don’t have tombstones. When you disappear, you disappear. So I left my tombstone on Twitter. To my chagrin was a lot more public and visible.”
Following his departure from WhatsApp, Acton went on to co-found the Signal Foundation and its encrypted messaging app, Signal is now used by journalists and human rights advocates around the world. However, he has his doubts over Mark Zuckerberg's commitment to bring encryption to Facebook's apps.
The social media giant is currently facing pressure from politicians who have become increasingly concerned over the national security implications of Facebook encrypting its apps. In fact, Attorney General William Barr sent Mark Zuckerberg a letter recently in which he urged him to pause the company's plans for encryption.
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Via The Verge
