Brian Acton made billions from the social media company but still says we should #DeleteFacebook.
WhatsApp co-founder, Brian Acton is among those calling for social media users to delete Facebook. He joined the #DeleteFacebook movement even though he made billions from the company.
Scandals have plagued Facebook over the last while, most recently involving user privacy.
Facebook now owns WhatsApp after having purchased it from Acton. Now the co-founder of the popular messaging app is saying it’s time to delete Facebook. The backlash from this movement has sent the social network’s stock plummeting over 11 percent.
The #DeleteFacebook trend picked up dramatically following reports about Cambridge Analytica. Reports were published pointing to Cambridge for improperly harvesting and using private Facebook user data. The right-leaning political consultancy worked on the Trump campaign. It improperly obtained and used personal data from tens of millions of Facebook’s users.
As the delete Facebook movement continues, the social network is facing government crackdowns.
Both United States and E.U. regulators are cracking down on Facebook’s activities. Furthermore, investors filed a lawsuit over the matter. Share prices have drooped ever since.
It has been noted that Cambridge Analytica’s collection and use of user data was not at all unusual. Its intentions were to influence, a primary purpose of social media. That said, Facebook had been wrapped up in related problems even before this latest scandal.
Most notably, Facebook faced significant criticism regarding its circulation of misinformation that might have influenced the U.S. election in 2016. Other brewing problems with the social network included its deliberate design to be addictive and divisive.
“It is time. #deletefacebook,” tweeted Acton on his barely active @brianacton Twitter account. That hashtag has been trending since word of the Cambridge scandal first made headlines.
Acton co-founded WhatsApp in 2009. Before that, he was a Yahoo! engineer and executive. Facebook acquired the messaging app in 2014. Acton’s personal worth skyrocketed into the multi-billions. He remained with both WhatsApp and Facebook until November 2017. Currently, he’s at the head of the Signal Foundation, a direct rival to WhatsApp. That said, Signal differentiates itself by targeting individuals seeking improved security.
