How To Make Sure Facebook Doesn’t Have A Record Of Your Personal Contact Info
Facebook uses a secret tool to harvest names and phone numbers when someone signs up for their service and uploads their contact info, the only way to delete your info is to visit Facebook's help page and locate the "contact removal link" to purge your personal information from the site.
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We’re going to just go ahead and assume Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has some of your personal data on record. And you should too. Even if you decided to break up with Facebook a while back and even if you scrubbed your profile like you were giving an elephant a bubble bath, you should assume Meta knows you better than you know yourself.
According to Mashable, Facebook has a “secret tool” that it appears Zuckerberg doesn’t want you to know exists. Once you find the secret link, you can delete your phone number and email. What’s more though, even if you didn’t sign up for Facebook, your info is probably there.
When someone signs up for Facebook with an email address, it can upload their address book from their contacts. So, you sign up, click “ok” somewhere, and then your best friend’s cousin’s phone number is magically on Facebook’s servers. Think about it; YOU could be that best friend’s cousin. You’re more than likely a name in someone’s phone.
And that makes you susceptible, it makes everyone susceptible to information sharing when they didn’t want it shared. Oh Facebook, stop being such a 13-year-old kid going through his parent’s bedside table.
When Facebook decides to sneak around to find your tea, they’re going to find it. More than likely it will get sold and then, before you know it, you’re getting spam calls and unwanted emails. Or, maybe something worse.
Unfortunately, Facebook is now way more interested in virtual reality and living in their Metaverse to worry about your data these days. But, getting data and info will never go out of style. And, if you take a clue from other companies, Facebook, and other data platforms, will monetize your customer data.
Regardless of what a company chooses to do with your email, your friend’s friend’s friend’s email, it’s just unfair. Not everyone wants to have their email on file which can be used to influence their buying behavior. Or harass or even successfully scam them.
So, checking to see if Facebook has your number, and more, find the hidden link. Let’s start the journey. Start on Facebook’s Help pages. They are in there somewhere. A little to the left, ok good, you’re there.
Find an article under tons of content called “Information For People Who Don’t Use Meta Products.” This oddly sounds similar to the book from Michael Keaton’s outstanding movie, “Beetlejuice.” The Handbook for the Recently Deceased was of no help to the young homeowners. Hopefully, the Facebook link will work better.
Toodle on down a little further in the app and click the link. You’ll find yourself in the middle of the contact removal tool. Ready to remove yourself from the treacherous back roads of social media? Well, even if you use the tool, chances are, your info is already being used by other companies. Or was replicated and passed to another data platform. But go ahead and use the tool.
Even if you’re annoyed that your info is being used or that you didn’t even consent to the use of your info, you’ll have to just join the club. Facebook is used to making people unhappy. Speaking of unhappiness, you’ll now walk through a process that will include a couple of decisions and ultimately a confirmation text you’ll have to answer with a code.
So, take some time out of your very full life to remove your info from Meta’s platforms. Even if you never wanted to be even remotely affiliated with Zuckerberg and pals.
