Deciding between temporarily deactivating or permanently deleting a Facebook account can be tricky. The key is understanding the difference between the two options when it comes to Facebook accounts: temporarily disabling vs. permanent deletion.
Knowing how each choice affects your data protection, security considerations, and privacy will help you make an informed decision that best suits you and your family’s needs. In this blog post, we’ll explore these topics in detail so stay tuned!
Understanding the Difference between Disabling/Deactivating and Deleting a Facebook Account
Deactivating and deleting a Facebook account are two different processes. Deactivating an account temporarily removes it from view while deleting permanently deletes all of the data associated with the account. It is important to understand the differences between these two options before making a decision about which one to use.
What Will Happen if a Facebook Account is Deactivated?
Disabling or deactivating an account means that it will no longer be visible on Facebook, but all of its data such as messages, photos, and other information associated with the profile remain stored on Facebook’s servers.
- No one else can see your profile.
- Some information, like messages you sent to friends, may still be visible.
- Your friends may still see your name in their friend list. This is only visible to your friends, and only from their friends list.
- Group admins may still be able to see your posts and comments, along with your name.
- You will not be able to use your Facebook account to access Oculus products or your Oculus information.
- Pages that only you control will also be deactivated. If your Page is deactivated, people can’t see your Page or find your Page if they search for it.
- You can reactivate your Facebook account by just logging in again on Facebook.
What Will Happen If a Facebook Account is Deleted?
Deleting an account means that all of its associated data will be permanently removed from Facebook’s servers and cannot be recovered once deleted.
- You can’t regain access once it’s deleted.
- We delay deletion a few days after it’s requested. A deletion request is canceled if you log back into your Facebook account during this time.
- Friends may still have access to messages you sent after your account has been deleted as messaging history isn’t stored in your account.
- Copies of some material (for example log records) may remain in our database but are disassociated from personal identifiers.
- If you use your Facebook account to log in to Oculus, deleting your Facebook account will also delete your Oculus information. This includes your app purchases and your achievements. You will no longer be able to return any apps and will lose any existing store credits.
How To Deactivate Your Facebook Account
Here are the steps for deactivating your Facebook Account on your PC.
- Click your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
- Select Settings & privacy, then click Settings.
- Click Privacy, then click Your Facebook Information.
- Click Deactivation and Deletion.
- Choose Deactivate Account, then click Continue to Account Deactivation and follow the instructions to confirm.
How To Delete Facebook Account
- Click your profile picture in the top right of Facebook.
- Select Settings & privacy, then click Settings.
- Click Privacy, then click Your Facebook Information.
- Click Deactivation and Deletion.
- Click Delete Account, enter your password, and then click Continue.
Privacy Considerations when Deciding to Disable or Delete a Facebook Account
How Does Deactivating Affect Privacy?
Disabling a Facebook account does not delete any of the user’s personal data or content stored in their profile; instead, it just hides this information from public view until the user decides to reactivate their account.
While disabling an account provides some privacy protection since no one can access the user’s content during this time period, there are still potential risks involved as Facebook may continue to store and use certain pieces of data even when an account is disabled.
How Does Deleting Affect Privacy?
Deleting a Facebook account permanently removes all associated content from both public view and private storage within Facebook’s servers.
This includes posts, photos, messages sent/received through Messenger or other chat services provided by Facebook (such as WhatsApp), friend lists, etc., which cannot be recovered once deleted.
It also prevents anyone else from accessing these items in the future should they attempt to create another profile using the same name or email address used previously for the deleted profile.
Therefore, it is important that users take extra care when deciding whether they want to keep their accounts active indefinitely without deleting them completely, especially if they are concerned about protecting their own privacy rights online.
Security Considerations When Deciding to Disable or Delete a Facebook Account
When deciding to disable or delete a Facebook account, there are several security considerations that should be taken into account. Disabling an account is not the same as deleting it and both have different effects on user data and security.
How Does Disabling Affect Security?
Disabling a Facebook account means that the user’s profile will no longer be visible to other users but all of their data remains stored on Facebook’s servers.
Posts, messages, photos, videos, etc. can still be accessed by Facebook for various purposes such as advertising or research. Likewise, if someone has access to your password they can still log in and view your information even if you have disabled your account.
How Does Deleting Affect Security?
Deleting a Facebook account permanently removes all of the user’s data from the platform including posts, messages, photos, and videos.
Once deleted this data cannot be recovered so it is important to make sure any important information is backed up before deletion takes place. Additionally, once an account has been deleted it cannot be reactivated so any associated accounts (such as Instagram) must also be deleted separately if desired.
Potential Risks of Not Deleting an Account
If an individual chooses not to delete their Facebook account then there are potential risks associated with leaving personal information online indefinitely; such as identity theft or misuse of personal details by third parties without permission or knowledge of the owner.
It is therefore important for users to consider these risks when deciding whether disabling or deleting their accounts would best suit their needs in terms of privacy and security protection.
Data Protection Considerations when Deciding to Deactivate or Delete a Facebook Account
When it comes to data protection, there are important considerations to take into account when deciding whether to disable or delete a Facebook account.
How Does Deactivating Affect Data Protection?
Deactivating an account is not the same as deleting it. When you deactivate your Facebook account, all of your information remains stored on the platform and can still be accessed by other users. This means that any personal information you have shared with others will remain visible even if your profile is deactivated. Additionally, disabling an account does not prevent third-party apps from accessing your data unless they are specifically blocked in the settings menu.
How Does Deleting Affect Data Protection?
Deleting a Facebook account permanently removes all of the user’s data from the platform and prevents anyone else from viewing it or using it for their own purposes. All posts, photos, messages, and other content associated with the deleted profile will no longer be available once deletion has been completed successfully. Furthermore, any third-party apps connected to the deleted profile will also lose access to its associated data upon deletion.
Reactivating Your Facebook Account After Deletion or Deactivation
It is possible to reactivate your deactivated Facebook account but not a deleted account.
FAQs in Relation to Facebook Accounts: Temporarily Disabling Vs. Permanent Deletion
Is it better to deactivate or delete Facebook?
It depends on the situation. Deactivating Facebook will temporarily disable your account, but all of your data and settings will be saved. This allows you to reactivate it at any time with minimal effort.
Deleting Facebook permanently removes your profile, photos, posts, and other information associated with the account from the platform.
If you want to completely remove yourself from Facebook and its services then deleting is the best option; however, if you just want a break or are concerned about privacy issues then deactivating may be more suitable for you.
What does a temporary deactivated Facebook account look like?
When a Facebook account is temporarily deactivated, the user’s profile will no longer be visible to other users and won’t appear in search results or friend lists. Any posts, photos, videos, or comments made by the user prior to deactivation are still visible on their friends’ timelines but they can’t be accessed from the user’s own profile page. Additionally, any messages sent to them while their account was deactivated will not be received until they reactivate their account.
Can You Reactivate Your Disabled Account?
If you have had an account disabled due to suspicious activity or violations of Facebook’s terms of service, you can submit an appeal within 30 days to Facebook to review the decision.
If Facebook decides in your favor, you can have your account back. But if Facebook eventually decides not to restore your account or you did not ask to review within the prescribed number of days, your account will be permanently deleted.
Can I Make a New Facebook Account After Being Banned by Facebook?
It is possible but would be very hard. Facebook uses different methods to detect if someone banned from the platform is trying to make a new account. You can try to create a new Facebook account but you can’t use the same email address, phone number, or same phone/devices and might even need to use a VPN to evade Facebook’s detection.
Conclusion
When deciding between deactivating or deleting your Facebook account, it is important to understand the difference between the two.
Deactivating a Facebook account does not delete the information related to the account but only hides it. Deleting a Facebook account will remove all information associated with the account holder such as posts, photos, etc.
Which one you should choose will depend on what your goals are. If you want to take a breather from the platform, deactivating is the best option. Just be aware that deactivation still poses some risks for you such as hacking of your account, data collection, etc. If you strongly feel that the platform is not for you anymore, then you should opt to delete your account.
We must take proactive steps to ensure our kids are safe online. We need solutions that protect their privacy and limit access to inappropriate content. That’s why Safe To Play provides real reviews and reports on whether games and apps are suitable for children, so parents can make informed decisions about what they allow their children to engage with online.
