Surge in demand to delete social media accounts

THE number of people searching “how to delete Facebook” online has doubled in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The reputation of Facebook has suffered greatly after it emerged that around 50million users worldwide had their data accessed – with about one million victims based in the UK.

A new study carried out by Virtual Private Network (VPN), a data firm, found that searches for “delete Facebook” had risen by 101 per cent in the UK in March compared with the previous month.

Across the country, “delete Facebook” was looked up most widely in London, with searches increasing by 139 per cent from 16,027 to 38,370.

Simon Migliano, head of research at VPN, told the Evening Standard: “The Cambridge Analytica data breach has confirmed the long-held suspicions of many social media users that their personal data is being used for various means without their explicit consent.

“The backlash against what many would consider an egregious use of powers was immediate – with thousands of users in impacted countries swiftly looking to distance themselves from data-hungry sites like Facebook.

“The rocketing of search terms like ‘delete Facebook’ is evidence of a digital uprising of sorts against what has become the accepted norm in the last decade.” Brighton came in second place, climbing by 129 per cent, while Bristol rose by 111 per cent. Fourth was Edinburgh, rising 98 per cent, then Sunderland, up 95 per cent.