Ever since the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke out, it has become obvious that Facebook allowed user data to be manipulated by companies in order to influence political elections. This has caused a massive uproar worldwide, and many celebrities have begun to delete their Facebook account as a sign of protest. This issue, we look at global celebrities who have spearheaded on the #DeleteFacebook movement
Funny man Jim Carrey too, has had enough of Facebook. After it became obvious earlier this year that Russians interfered with the 2016 United States Election through the manipulation of users using Facebook, it was the proverbial last straw for the talented actor. While axing his Facebook account, he tweeted “I’m dumping my @facebook stock and deleting my page because @facebook profited from Russian interference in our elections and they’re still not doing enough to stop it.”
Elon Musk, the world renowned CEO of SpaceX, which includes the cutting edge electric car company Tesla, is a celebrity in his own right. He has always been critical of Facbook, often questioning the motives of Mark Zuckerberg at public forums. In a bunch of Twitter messages sent last week, Elon Musk said he would delete SpaceX’s Facebook page, as well as the one for his electric car company Tesla. As promised, he and the social media teams for those companies have followed through.
Farhan Akhtar is Bollywood royalty. Whether he sits in the Director’s chair helming movies like Dil Chahta Hai and Don, or he dons the actor’s hat in iconic roles such as Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Farhan has always been a trendsetter. Now he has become the first Bollywood celebrity to quit the social network in the wake of the Facebook data breach row. While quitting the platform, he tweeted "Good morning. This is to inform you all that I have permanently deleted my personal Facebook account. However, the verified FarhanAkhtarLive page is still active."
Will Ferrell, known for his funny roles in Anchorman, The Lego Movie, The Other Guys, and many more in his over 30 year career, knows that there are lines a company should never cross. The actor, who had 10 million fans on facebook, is livid with the social media giant’s handling of user data in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. “I’m reaching out to let you know that in 72 hours I will be deleting my Facebook account. I am not deleting it immediately, in order to give this message enough time to get across to my fans and followers, “I know I am not alone when I say that I was very disturbed to hear about Cambridge Analytica’s misuse of millions of Facebook users’ information in order to undermine our democracy and infringe on our citizens’ privacy. I can no longer, in good conscience, use the services of a company that allowed the spread of propaganda and directly aimed it at those most vulnerable.”
By Neeraj Varty
