APC Australia

WhatsApp co-founder still thinks we should delete Facebook

FORMER BOARD MEMBER STANDS BY DECISION TO LEAVE.

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While it has been almost two years since news of the Cambridge Analytica scandal first broke, WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton still thinks that users should delete Facebook. At Wired’s 25th anniversar­y summit, Acton told a crowd that others should make their own decisions about leaving the social network though he stands by his decision to leave, saying: “If you want to be on Facebook and you want to have ads thrust in front of you, go to town.” Acton’s fight against Facebook began in March of 2018 when he took to Twitter to tell others “It is time” followed by the hashtag #deleteface­book. When he tweeted that message, Acton had been away from Facebook for more than a year after he stepped down in 2017 over a disagreeme­nt regarding monetizing WhatsApp. Following his departure from WhatsApp, Acton went on to co-found the Signal Foundation. Its titular encrypted messaging app is now used by journalist­s and human rights advocates around the world.

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