This Way Out? Not Really

Website won't delete personal info, would-be ex-members grouse

By Laila Weir, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 11, 2008 11:35 AM CST

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This Way Out? Not Really — Facebook.com's mastermind, Mark Zuckerberg smiles at his office in Palo Alto, Calif., Monday, Feb. 5, 2007. Facebook Inc. has overhauled a new advertising system that sparked privacy complaints by turning its users into marketing tools for other companies. Under the changes outlined late Thursday, Nov.... (Associated Press)

Just when you think you're out, Facebook pulls you back in, say wannabe ex-users who have tried in vain to delete their profiles. The site keeps archives of all profiles, unless they're manually deleted piece by piece, fanning privacy concerns already stoked by the Beacon fiasco. “It’s like the Hotel California,” one unwilling member told the New York Times. “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”

That member could still be contacted through the site even after Facebook deleted most of his profile in response to an email threatening legal action. Another user said Facebook erased his profile only after he complained to the press, a UK government office, and a privacy organization. Other social networking and dating sites, in contrast, offer full-delete options. (More Facebook stories.)

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