I know. It was hard. But if we won't even take a stand with these censorious assholes, and we let them continue spying on and censoring us, then where exactly will we armchair warriors take a stand?
So far, in 5 days, I've persuaded 13 of my friends to create a Telegram account and they all love it.
Take the plunge.
Fuck Zuck. Fuck Facebook. Take a stand for free speech. Don't let the CIA/FBI/NSA/DOJ/IRS watch your life.
It will not delete your data. Facebook keeps shadow profiles even on people who have never used their service. They still know who you are, and where you visit, even if you have never opened an account ... unless you're aggressive and thorough about blocking them, which is esp. difficult if you use a smartphone.
They do not delete former account data, ever. But if it makes you feel better it's perfectly okay.
There is a loophole, though ... the staler the data over time, the less useful it can be for predictive manipulation.
And the more you personally evolve as a person -- in terms of psyche, spirit or strength -- after dumping GAFAM, the more stale the data is. If you stay the same, like many people do, they still know you too well. Become a new and reinvigorated person, and it will be useless.