This post is pretty off-topic given my previous, mainly work-related content. But in recent years privacy, open source and digital independence have both become a big interest of mine. There are so many topics to choose from, but this one seemed like a good place to start as it’s one that I’m actively engaged in at the moment.

Let me explain why I’m leaving Meta, how I’m planning to do it, and what exactly that entails.

Why?

tl;dr: Meta sucks - gtfo.

Because Meta’s tools have, to an increasingly shameless degree, become a greedy, money-making, user-privacy-violating, misinformation-rotating machine in the selling-user-data business. I am tired of sneaky terms of service updates weaseling its way around legislation, I’m tired of advertisements everywhere and of AI being pushed into my face at every turn. I don’t want to be a part of anymore - so I’m getting rid of it.

How?

Having used Facebook & Co. for over 20 years (yeah… I know… I feel old, too) it felt appropriate to do a step-by-step exit. I am hoping to inspire some friends to tag along or at least spark some curiosity in whomever stumbles upon my post.

Here’s my (any maybe your) plan for leaving Meta:

  • 📋 Decide what to get rid of (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp… all of them!?)
  • 🏁 Set yourself a deadline
  • 🩹 Research and pick alternatives (if you need them)
  • 💬 Post an exit-statement (see below) to inform your connections that you’re leaving
  • ✉️ Exchange contact-info with those wanting to stay in contact outside the Meta bubble
  • ☠️ Lastly: Deactivate/Delete your account(s)
    • Deactivate: If you’re worried that someone will impersonate you on Meta’s platforms
    • Delete: If you want to be done interacting with Meta for good

What?

Following the above plan, I decided to get rid of everything by the end of 2025. I found some great alternatives for most areas. For a few I couldn’t find good replacements yet. But that’s OK. After all, I want to leave Meta, not replace it with another half-baked solution.

I posted the template below as my exit-statement, which also contains some alternatives, that I’ll be using.

Template

Feel free to modify this and the graphic to fit your situation and post it as your exit-statement if your have similar plans.

🖼️ Download graphic as image: bye-meta_image.png

📐 Download graphic as vector: bye-meta_vector.svg

bye-meta.png

By the end of 2025 I will delete all my Meta accounts.

Meta’s platforms no longer serve the purpose, that I used them for. Like other companies’ Meta’s have been “enshittified”. Yep, it’s a thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification.

What used to be great tools for connecting with my friends in one place and share stuff we like, now feels more like invasive data mining machines.

Cutting edge content-personalization-algorithms present an endless doom-scroll of low quality content to record as many interaction-minutes and create the most accurate user profiles possible to sell them to data brokers, fascist governments, advertisers promoting low quality products, and whomever else with “legitimate interest”.

They train their AI on user content without asking for consent, they widen the divide between humans by a lack of moderation on blatant misinformation, act in favor of billionaires and politicians and silence minorities all while claiming to build a “more open and connected world”. Convenience or social FOMO are no longer enough for me to justify using these greedy, unfair and ethically unacceptable platforms.

Luckily lots of great alternatives already exist. Here are some I’m moving to:

If you want to stay in touch add me on Signal or email me at <my-name@email.com>

Take care ✌️