Here’s How to Find and Delete Old Social Media Accounts

Did you know that the average American browses six to seven networking sites every month?

The fact is, most people are quick to set up social media profiles when a platform starts trending. But these accounts often get abandoned after some time as interests change or new sites emerge. The result is usually dozens of forgotten accounts lying around unused.

Why Close Down Old Accounts on Social Media?

The answer to this question mostly has to do with data safety.

Personal data is a valuable asset you own. And its safety is constantly at risk because of bad actors who try to infiltrate, abuse, and misuse it for personal gains.

Remember, what you share on social media platforms can help criminals target you for a variety of malicious acts, both in the digital and real worlds. These can range from financial fraud and identity theft to stalking and burglary. Old online accounts you hardly use are extra susceptible to these types of threats.

Here are a few examples of the risks unused accounts on networking sites could expose you to:

• Social media posts from your younger days could help fraudsters gather details about your past. Information about your high school, old friends, and where you lived could all be useful for impersonation scams.
• Forgotten accounts could have weak login credentials that allow criminals to hack into them. When they gain access to your profile, they could steal your identifiable data or reach out to your connections and target them for financial fraud or phish for their personal data. And if you have shared sensitive information with others via direct messages, unscrupulous actors may also use it against you for extortion.
• Old accounts can contain certain frivolous posts, comments, and other content that you had shared when you were young. These could create trouble, especially when a potential employer conducts a background check.
• Social media platforms could collect data from your online accounts and share it with third parties who could, in turn, sell or share it again, risking your privacy and data safety. A hacking-related data breach on these platforms could make you vulnerable to even worse dangers.

The bottom line is, unused profiles are part of your digital data footprint that could expose you to various risks. This is why it is important to find and delete old social media accounts if you want to minimize your data legacy.

Find and Delete Abandoned Social Media Profiles

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you could retrieve and close down unused accounts on networking sites.

1. Identify the Accounts to Delete

Start by listing the old accounts you no longer use. If you struggle to remember how many online accounts you have, run a background check on yourself. Simply enter your full name to find the profiles associated with it.

This is an easier method to discover social media accounts than browsing search engines or looking for old welcome emails in your email inbox. Once you identify all the accounts to delete, you must find a way to access them.

If the profiles have been left unused for a while, you likely won’t remember old usernames and login passwords. In such situations, check the password managers for saved passwords. If that doesn’t work, click the “forgot password” button on the networking platform’s sign-in page to access the account by resetting the login details.

2. Download Your Data

After you close the social media accounts, you will lose all the information they contain. That is why it is important to take backups of content you want to keep.

Many social media sites provide the option to download data before you delete your account on their platforms. You can usually find this under Account Settings.

3. Remove Data Trails

Before deleting accounts, it is essential to delete data uploaded or shared under them to remove all data trails. This includes your bio, posts, comments, private messages, and similar content.

Don’t forget to remove the personal information you had entered under the Account section in Settings. If the platform doesn’t allow you to completely delete some of the details, such as your name, at least change them so they can’t be traced back to you. However, if you have used your emails and phone numbers to log in or recover your accounts, make sure you leave them intact for now. 

This is because some platforms send emails and messages with passcodes and links to verify you are an account’s legitimate owner or to get your confirmation when you ask them to delete your account on their sites. Having a valid email and phone number under your profile is important for them to contact you in such instances.

4. Close the Accounts

The option to delete your accounts is usually available under the Settings menu of social media platforms.

How to delete a Facebook account

Go to “Settings & privacy” and click “Settings”. Then, select “Account Center” on the left and click “Personal details” > “Account ownership and control” > “Deactivation or deletion”.

How to delete an X (Twitter) account

Select “Deactivate Account” under “Your Account”.

How to delete an Instagram account

Visit the “Accounts Center” and click “Personal details” > “Account ownership and control” > “Deactivation or deletion”.

How to delete a TikTok account

Go to “Settings and privacy” > “Account” > “Deactivate or delete account”.

How to delete a LinkedIn account

Click “Account preferences” and select “Close account”.

Some platforms provide a deactivation option instead of deletion. This usually removes your account from public view, giving you the option to recover it within a certain period should you wish to do so. After that, the platform will delete it permanently.

However, if you are unsure about how your account and data will be treated after you select the deactivation option, it is always best to read the site’s data policies and reach out to its customer help desk before you do anything.

Additional Tips for Online Account Safety

When you are concerned about your digital data privacy and safety, here are a few other steps you can take besides deleting your old social media profiles.

• Identify forgotten accounts on online stores, streaming sites, blogs, digital tools, apps, and other platforms offering digital services and products. Then, remove all the data and close them down.
• Use strong passwords to protect online accounts you want to keep. Ensure they are unique and difficult to guess. Never reuse passwords or share them with others. Install a password manager if you find it difficult to remember them.
• Access online services without creating accounts. For instance, purchase products on shopping platforms in guest mode or read news without signing up.
• Familiarize yourself with data protection policies and check account deletion options before setting up profiles on online platforms.
• Be mindful not to overshare personal information when creating accounts. Only provide the essential details where a field is marked with a star.
• Deactivate data tracking to prevent platforms from collecting and sharing your information with others.
• Keep a list of all the accounts you create and review it periodically to determine whether you still need them.

To Conclude

In a haste to follow digital trends, many people set up countless accounts online, which they often forget about after a while.

If you are like the average American, chances are you have set up more social media accounts than you can possibly manage. But this practice can jeopardize your privacy and safety.

So, take measures today to remove all those unwanted accounts and take charge of your data footprint.

FAQ

Why is it important to delete unused accounts?

Every piece of digital data you leave behind in cyberspace adds to a data trail that links back to you. The larger your data legacy, the higher the risk of identity theft, financial scams, and other threats to your safety.

If you want to avoid these threats for privacy and digital security, removing unused accounts is one of the simplest ways to do this.

How can I discover forgotten social media profiles?

Nuwber is a convenient option to identify old accounts. 

You can also search your name and email address on Google or a similar search engine or check your inbox for welcome messages and account-verification emails.

What can I do if I can’t remember the login credentials of old online accounts?

Check whether the relevant username and password are saved on your password manager.

If not, click the “forgotten my password” link on the platform’s login page. This will prompt the site to send a unique passcode to a registered email address or phone number to help recover the account.

What should I do if a site doesn’t provide an option to delete my account?

The best solution in this case is to contact the site’s customer service team to request deletion. If that fails, remove or change identifiable information under Account Settings and let the account remain dormant.

What’s the difference between deactivating and deleting an account?

When you deactivate an account, others can no longer find and view your profile information or activities. The platform continues to hold your account and its data, allowing you to reactivate it later.

However, keep in mind that some sites only retain accounts for a limited period once you select the deactivation option. After that, the platforms will proceed to remove them.

Deleting an account, on the other hand, permanently removes it from the platform you have created it on. This means you won’t be able to retrieve it thereafter.

Related Posts