By Josh Butler
A prominent figure in the tech billionaire world has added his name to the #deleteFacebook hashtag amid the Cambridge Analytica data controversy — Brian Acton, who helped build messaging platform WhatsApp, which Facebook acquired for $19 billion in 2014.
Acton teamed up with Jan Koum — both ex-Yahoo workers — to launch WhatsApp back in 2009. The application has grown into one of the most popular tools on the planet, enabling users to make voice calls and trade messages at no cost across the internet. Facebook bought the app in 2014 via a cash-and-stock deal worth $19 billion — the largest deal in the company's history. Koum is still on board, but Acton walked away from WhatsApp in 2017 to set up his own nonprofit foundation "focused on the intersection of nonprofit, technology and communications."
On Tuesday, Acton dropped a brief tweet:
It is time. #deletefacebook
The intent behind his words was ambiguous — whether he was nudging others to remove their profiles or revealing his own intention to quit. Regardless, his post adds another voice to the #deleteFacebook hashtag, which has gained viral momentum this week after disturbing reports that Cambridge Analytica — a political data outfit linked to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential run — had harvested the personal data of 50 million users from the social platform.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has endured intense criticism for dodging meetings and refusing to engage with questions. Both the U.S. Congress and the British Parliament are now demanding that he supply additional details about exactly what unfolded regarding the collection and political exploitation of users' information.
Earlier last month, news broke that Acton had invested $50 million into Signal, a messaging app that competes directly with WhatsApp. He also declared his intention to join the Signal Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting communication privacy.
huffingtonpost.com
