Elon Musk Deletes SpaceX’s Facebook Page After Twitter Dare

As if Elon Musk couldn’t get any more cooler, he goes and does something like this. Following a Q&A session on Twitter, Musk took a follower up on a dare to delete the Facebook page for SpaceX if “He was the man.” Never one to disappoint, within hours the Facebook page for SpaceX was gone, turned into a pile of cyber dust shunning some 2-plus million followers. Also gone, is the page for his famous electric car company Tesla.

It is time. #deletefacebook

— Brian Acton (@brianacton) March 20, 2018

This comes on the heels of a massive Facebook data breach by Cambridge Analytica, a political data firm that worked on the 2016 Trump presidential campaign. The company was able to access users private data through Facebook, and it caused an immediate backlash. Within hours of the discovery, the phrase #DeleteFacebook was trending on Twitter. Celebrities and non-celebrities alike were pledging to get rid of the social network. Perhaps the most astounding supporter of the Delete Facebook movement is Brian Acton. Facebook purchased Acton’s WhatsApp Messenger for $19 Billion 2014 and almost immediately started to integrate some its key features into Facebook Messenger.

Musk, seemed genuinely unaware that either of his companies had a Facebook page to begin with. Judging by how quickly they were nixed, it’s a pretty safe assumption that he too, supports the Delete Facebook movement. Most users that are leaving are citing a discomfort knowing that Facebook has access to so much of their private information. Many of them use Facebook as a way to keep in touch with distant relatives and friends, but will now be tasked with finding a new way to connect. 

One curious point here is whether or not Facebook is truly at fault here. Sure, they do mine and store tons of user data for their own analytics and engagement algorithms, but who should be responsible for the regulation of that data. Let us know what you think about this in the comments below!