Cher, singer and actress
Cher's made it loud and clear on Twitter her distaste for Facebook. She said she deleted her Facebook account back in March, and in December seemed to indicate that she was trying to set up another page that was set up for her, as well.
2day I did something VERY HARD 4 me.Facebook has helped me with my Charity, &there are amazing young Ppl there.I have a special friend (Lauren)who I Respect & Admire,but today I deleted my Facebook account .
I Love My🇺🇸🙏🏻.
I Believe....There are Things MORE”IMPORTANT”THAN💰💰
WONT USE GOOGLE,GETTING RID OF FACEBOOK ACCOUNT I DIDNT KNOW I HAD.WOULD GET RID OF TWITTER IF IT WASN’T 4 ❤️ OF YOU.THESE COMPANIES HAVE NO ALLEGIANCE TO,OR ❤️OF ANYTHING BUT MONEY💰💰. THEY MIGHT AS WELL BE CONSPIRING WITH RUSSIA TO DESTROY OUR DEMOCRACY.
WHERES❤️OF 🇺🇸
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX
Elon Musk -- the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and The Boring Company -- is known for an active Twitter presence that's even landed him in some trouble. The tech executive is not shy about interacting with his Twitter followers, and it seems some of these interactions led him to take action on Facebook.
Followers pointed out to Musk in March that Tesla and SpaceX had official pages on Facebook. He responded he would get them taken down. The official pages for the two companies no longer exist on Facebook.
Official, checkmarked-verified Facebook pages for the two companies -- as well as the Boring Company - no longer exist on Facebook.
I didn’t realize there was one. Will do.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 23, 2018Definitely. Looks lame anyway.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 23, 2018Will Ferrell, actor and comedian
Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal in March, comedian Will Ferrell wrote he would be deleting his official Facebook page. He told followers in a message he disapproved of "Cambridge Analytica's misuse of millions of Facebook users' information in order to undermine our democracy and infringe on our citizens' privacy."
The full message can be read below:
"Hi Friends,
I'm reaching out to let you know that in 72 hours I will be deleting my Facebook account. I am not deleting it immediately, in order to give this message enough time to get across to my fans and followers.
I have always had an aversion to social media and have primarily used it as a tool to help support our work at Funny Or Die, some of my personal projects, as well as charity causes that I am passionate about. Facebook allowed me to promote and share the work of many dedicated and talented individuals who deserved recognition.
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. I was further appalled to learn that Facebook's reaction to such a violation was to suspend the account of the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower.
In this day and age, with misinformation running rampant, it's important that we protect the truth, as well as those who work to bring it to light. I can no longer, in good conscience, use the services of a company that allowed the spread of propaganda and directly aimed it at those most vulnerable.
I love my fans and hope to further interact with them through my comedy via the mediums of film and television.
-Will Ferrell"
Brian Acton, cofounder of Facebook-owned WhatsApp
Acton is one of the cofounders of messaging platform WhatsApp, which was acquired by Facebook for $19 billion in 2014. He tweeted the #DeleteFacebook hashtag after news of the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, with a simple, firm message: "It is time."
Acton left Facebook last year, and revealed details about his "extremely icy" relationship with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a September interview with Forbes.
It is time. #deletefacebook
— Brian Acton (@brianacton) March 20, 2018Kasie Hunt, journalist
Kasie Hunt, an NBC political journalist, posted on her Facebook that she would be deleting the page because "I simply don't trust them anymore."
While the original post was deleted when Hunt removed her Facebook page, she posted the same message on her Twitter:
I’m out. @facebook pic.twitter.com/U9LXC3D1Zj
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) December 19, 2018Rosie O'Donnell, actress and comedian
When she wasn't feuding with President Donald Trump on Twitter, Rosie O'Donnell tweeted in March she had deleted her Facebook when asked by a follower.
A tweet from the next day, in which she called Facebook a "treacherous company," seemed to confirm her message that she deleted her page.
i deleted facebook
— ROSIE (@Rosie) March 26, 2018so @FACEBOOK - can u put a new red flashing button that says I QUIT NOW - so we who want to leave ur treasonous company can - #easily ???
— ROSIE (@Rosie) March 27, 2018Steve Wozniak, cofounder of Apple
Steve Wozniak told USA Today in April he planned to quit Facebook based on concerns over the platform's misuse of personal data for advertising purposes.
"Users provide every detail of their life to Facebook and ... Facebook makes a lot of advertising money off this," the Apple cofounder wrote in an email to USA Today. "The profits are all based on the user's info, but the users get none of the profits back."
Walt Mossberg, journalist and technology columnist
In a Twitter thread this month, tech journalist Walt Mossberg said he would not only delete Facebook, but also Facebook-owned apps Messenger and Instagram.
"My own values and the policies and actions of Facebook have diverged to the point where I’m no longer comfortable there," Mossberg wrote. "This is just a personal decision about where online I wish to participate."
1/ Some personal news: I've decided to quit Facebook around the end of the year. I am doing this - after being on Facebook for nearly 12 years - because my own values and the policies and actions of Facebook have diverged to the point where I’m no longer comfortable there.
— Walt Mossberg (@waltmossberg) December 17, 20182/ I am also quitting Facebook-owned Instagram and Messenger. I will remain on Twitter, and will continue to communicate via iMessage, email and SMS text with those who have my email address and/or phone number. Obviously, people who follow me here can also reach me via DM.
— Walt Mossberg (@waltmossberg) December 17, 20183/ I am hardly the first person to quit Facebook and I am not urging anyone else to do so, or trying to spark some dump-Facebook movement. Nor am I judging anyone who remains, or everyone who works there. This is just a personal decision about where online I wish to participate.
— Walt Mossberg (@waltmossberg) December 17, 2018Jim Carrey, actor and comedian
The actor announced his plans to quit Facebook way back in February. His move came before the hashtage #DeleteFacebook started trending in March, so he instead opted for the hashtag #UnfriendFacebook.
Carrey also wrote on Twitter he was dumping his Facebook stock.
I’m dumping my @facebook stock and deleting my page because @facebook profited from Russian interference in our elections and they’re still not doing enough to stop it. I encourage all other investors who care about our future to do the same. #unfriendfacebook pic.twitter.com/KHWgZzhhmp
— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) February 6, 2018David Heinemeier Hansson, CTO of Basecamp and creator of Ruby on Rails programming framework
With a large Twitter following, the web programmer better known as DHH started to use his Twitter recently to rally others to join him in deleting their Facebook accounts.
Hansson also announced that his software company Basecamp would abandon Facebook and platforms the company owns. He declared on Twitter that Basecamp would be "100% Facebook-free," and encouraged others to do the same for their businesses.
Everyone has a different line in the sand, but if, after today’s insane revelations, Facebook hasn’t crossed yours, ponder whether they’re are drawn on earth or in lala land.
Seriously #DeleteFacebook. Just do it. Better tonight than tomorrow.
Staying on Facebook after the 252th grotesque privacy scandal is how we get the 253rd. Zuckerberg and Sandberg have so far correctly bet they can keep fucking over 2.2b people with just about zero consequences. Betting you’re too weak and too disinterested to do anything.
— DHH (@dhh) December 19, 2018We've decided to become a Facebook-Free Business at @basecamp starting today. No Facebook, Instagram, no WhatsApp. No ads. No profiles. No pages. No usage. No more. Run your own business? Consider joining up. https://t.co/Fz6s4zjjQx
— DHH (@dhh) December 19, 2018Jessica Valenti, writer
Valenti, cofounder of the feminist blog Feministing, tweeted this month she had deleted her Facebook. She wrote on Twitter, "it felt GREAT."
Just deleted my FB account and it felt GREAT.
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) December 19, 2018Farhan Akhtar, Bollywood actor
Akhar, a writer and director, notified Twitter followers in March he was deleting his personal Facebook page. His official fan page, however, is still active on Facebook.
Good morning. This is to inform you all that I have permanently deleted my personal Facebook account.
However, the verified FarhanAkhtarLive page is still active.
Lisa Helps, mayor of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Helps is the current mayor of Victoria, the capital city of the Canadian province British Columbia. In a post on her website from March, Helps said she was quitting Facebook because it had become "a toxic, echo chamber."
"I’m quitting Facebook so I stop contributing in any way to this cycle of psychological violence where fear and anger get more air time than joy," Helps wrote. "I look forward to more face to face conversations, less distractions, and keeping my noodle intact."
John Edwards, privacy commissioner for New Zealand
In a post for New Zealand publication "The Spinoff," Edwards explained how Facebook was violating the country's privacy laws, and criticized the social network for its non-compliance.
"We applied our naming policy and today have identified Facebook as non-compliant with the New Zealand Privacy Act ... Under current law there is little more I am able to do to practically to protect my, or New Zealanders’ data on Facebook," Edwards wrote. "That’s why I’ve deleted Facebook (for now)."