Starting this year, I wanted to leave #facebook and #instagram since I'm not interested in their services anymore. And there my data deletion journey begins. Since I didn't use Instagram with my new phone I forgot about the second factor and I didn't have access to my backup codes (Layer 8 issue :-)). So what should we do? First I tried to get a temporary access. But the temporary access doesn't allow to bypass two factor mechanism. As security engineer that seems like good security practice to me. However, I still wanted to leave the platform and take my data with me. I read through endless manuals on how to reset or regain access, but without backup codes or my old phone (which had a display issue and would cost money to repair), I was always blocked by the second factor authentication. I was always blocked on the second factor authentication. Instagram even offers a service to scan your face and match it to your photos to regain access, but nothing helped. Last chance contacting the data protection officer. I was still hopeful since the problem source was me in losing my backup codes and not register my second factor on a new phone.
The conversation looked promising but stopped at the same step that I need to login and do it myself.
The interesting thing is, my account still had another valid second factor registered, but I couldn’t use it as a backup method to log in through the UI. This made me start to doubt the process. I could verify my account data through my Facebook login since the two accounts were linked in the past, but there was no way to reset or change it using my valid Facebook login.
I was glad that GDPR is in place, so I went to EDÖB to file an official complaint against Meta. I received very promising feedback, stating that Meta now has a legal representation for data privacy in Switzerland.
I contacted the legal firm and filed my complaint with a 30-day deadline. Through a phone call, I confirmed that my complaint was received, and there are still 15 days left to take action.
In the information age, owning your data and becoming data-literate is increasingly important. Education and understanding how to filter your input are crucial skills to endure polarization and stay open-minded.
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