For over a month, Facebook has been dealing with the PR nightmare sparked by its admission that the data of up to 87 million users was secretly accessed by consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, and later used to help Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The slip up sparked the #DeleteFacebook hashtag, in which people on Twitter and other spaces announce they’re doing precisely that. Facebook has tried to course-correct with new security measures, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg agreeing to testify before Congress. But that wasn’t enough to keep some A-listers from joining #DeleteFacebook.
Here’s a look at the celebs that have dropped their profiles (so far).
Elon Musk didn’t seem to hesitate when a Twitter follower dared him to delete the Facebook profile for SpaceX, his rocket company.
Not only did Musk axe the SpaceX page (claiming he wasn’t aware one even existed,) he also deleted the Tesla page as well, saying it “looks lame anyway.”
The two accounts combined had about 5 million followers.
Cher tweeted that it was “VERY HARD” to delete her account, because of the “amazing young Ppl there.” But delete it she did. If only Facebook could turn back time (I’ll show myself out).
The Goddess of Pop must’ve been talking about her personal page only, however, because her commercial page is still live. Guess it’s hard to delete those 2.4 million followers.
The OG of #DeleteFacebook, Jim Carrey was off the social network even before the Cambridge Analytica news made it cool. Carrey dumped his Facebook stock and ditched his profile back in February, because the company “profited from Russian interference in our elections and they’re still not doing enough to stop it.”
Alright, Woz didn’t technically delete his profile. The Apple co-founder said he was too worried about losing ownership of the “stevewoz” handle. But he deactivated the account, saying Facebook has a one-way relationship with its users. “The profits are all based on the user’s info, but the users get none of the profits back,” Woz told USA Today.
Deleting Facebook is so hot right now, at least according to Will Ferrell. The “Anchorman” star erased his profile at the end of March, saying on his page “Cambridge Analytica’s misuse of millions of Facebook users’ information in order to undermine our democracy and infringe on our citizens’ ‘privacy’” was the reason for his exodus.
Singer Roseanne Cash, daughter of country great Johnny Cash, announced on March 29 that she would delete her Facebook account the next day. That remains to be seen, however: the page is still live as of April 9.
On April 12, Susan Sarandon announced she was quitting Facebook via Instagram (which is also owned by Facebook), posting a quote by Charles Bukowski that begins, “Censorship is the tool of those who have the need to hide actualities from themselves and from others.”