Face it: Facebook is forever

I was shocked to read how much personal information Facebook retains.

Awake magazine, quoting the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, reported on an Austrian law student who wanted to know how much data about him had been stored by the world's largest social network during his three-year membership.

After the student requested a copy, Facebook sent him a CD containing 1,222 pages of data!

“Everything had been stored — every message, every chat, including sensitive information about friends,” the student said.

He added that even information he had deleted was still there. I guess in this case, deleted doesn't really mean deleted.

I'm a late bloomer when it comes to Facebook. I joined a couple of years ago to keep up with the Yuma Sun's social media push. I wonder how much data the social network has gathered on me in that time.

Erin Bury, Sprouter community manager, said it well: “Don't say anything online that you wouldn't want plastered on a billboard with your face on it.”