How to delete Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook

So you’ve deleted your Facebook account. Good. Now let’s talk about Instagram and WhatsApp. 

The two Facebook-owned services often get a pass whenever hate speech, misinformation, right-wing propaganda, privacy abuses, and self–mythologizing nonsense make the news — which, because of Facebook, is often. Overlooking WhatsApp and Instagram, however, would be a mistake. These services feed the Facebook beast and you should absolutely delete your accounts with Mark Zuckerberg’s seemingly less-tainted platforms, too.

Facebook 

While logged into Facebook on a desktop browser, click here to delete your Facebook account. Then select “Delete Account.” Do not select “Deactivate Account.”

Facebook will then ask you to “Confirm This Is Your Account” by entering your password. Do that, then select “Continue.” You then have one more chance to back out (don’t). 

Select “Delete Account” and be done with it. 

Instagram

While logged into Instagram on a desktop browser, click here to delete your Instagram account. 

Instagram will ask why you’re deleting your account, so select some random answer (no need to give them accurate data on the way out the door). You will then need to re-enter your password, and then select “Permanently delete my account.”

The button is red. You can’t miss it.

WhatsApp

Deleting WhatsApp is fun and easy, and it’s something you should definitely try at home. Unlike with Facebook and Instagram, the way to delete WhatsApp is from within the app itself. You can find step-by-step instructions here, but they boil down to the following: Open the app, select “More options,” then “Settings,” then “Account,” then “Delete my account.”

You then have to enter your phone number and hit “DELETE MY ACCOUNT.” 

But wait! Because, of course you’re not done yet. Much like with Instagram, you have to choose a reason why you don’t want to be associated with this dumpster fire anymore (do that), then select “DELETE MY ACCOUNT” again.  

Lastly, you’ll want to download Signal — an encrypted, open-source messaging app that doesn’t collect data on its users. 

Notably, it may take up to 90 days for Facebook or WhatsApp to actually delete your data once you’ve clicked that “permanently delete” button, so there’s no reason to wait a minute longer than necessary. Oh yeah, and don’t let Facebook saying it may just hang onto your data anyway slow you down. 

“Copies of your information may remain after the 90 days in backup storage that we use to recover in the event of a disaster, software error, or other data loss event,” explains a Facebook blog post about deleting accounts. “We may also keep your information for things like legal issues, terms violations, or harm prevention efforts.” 

SEE ALSO: Don’t forget: Instagram is creepy, too

If anything, Facebook’s — and by extension Instagram’s and WhatsApp’s — shady data practices should encourage you to move faster in distancing yourself from the toxic cesspool that is Facebook and its associated properties. And if that’s not enough, just consider that — no matter what lies Facebook’s PR people spout — the company unequivocally does benefit from hate.

There’s no need for it to still benefit from you, too.