Forgotten Facebook friends who don't appear in your friends list could still be snooping on you from time to time, new research shows.
In their research paper, "Your Facebook Deactivated Friend or a Cloaked Spy?," University College London computer-science student Shah Mahmood and UCL's chair of information communication technology, Yvo Desmedt, highlighted what they called a "zero-day privacy loophole." It enables a person to deactivate his own account and then later, upon reactivating the account and shedding his privacy "cloak," to quickly view his friends' profiles before disappearing into the darkness again.
The loophole takes advantage of the lengthy and complicated process of getting rid of a Facebook account. The social network persuades many would-be exiles to take only the half-step of deactivating their accounts, in effect putting the accounts into hibernation instead of deleting them altogether.
Deactivating doesn't mean you're off Facebook
"As deactivation is temporary in Facebook, the attacker can reactivate her account as she pleases and repeat the process of activating and deactivating" over and over, the research team explained. "This deactivated friend — i.e., the attacker — may later reactivate the account and crawl her victims' profiles for any updated information. Once the crawling has finished, the attacker will deactivate again."
[Why You Should Quit Facebook Now]
The concept behind the exploit is akin to the cloaking method used in "Star Trek," the researchers said, "where Badass Blink or Jem'Hadar has to uncloak (be visible), even if only for a moment, to open fire."
When account holders deactivate their accounts, they "become invisible." They no longer appear on others' lists of friends, nor can others "unfriend" them. And, as the paper notes, "Facebook provides no notification about the activation or deactivation of friends to its users."
By reactivating their accounts, malicious Facebook users can snoop on their friends' profiles when it's convenient, and then immediately deactivate, leaving no trace.
Who can see you?
The loophole exploited by
the "deactivation attack" becomes particularly worrisome if you consider who may be taking advantage of it.
Mahmood and Desmedt argued that this type of covert Facebook snooping would be "attractive" to marketers, background-checking agencies, governments, hackers, spammers, stalkers or criminals.
Because the perpetrator may only reactivate his account for a very brief period of time, the attack is also difficult to detect.
The researchers said the deactivation attack could be mitigated if Facebook notified users of their friends' deactivations and reactivations, or if it flagged accounts that frequently de- and reactivated.
Facebook did not respond to a request for comment.
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Most of us have tons of friends on Facebook. We have our friends, family, and even our workmates added there. But we may not realize that we cannot view or search their account anymore. In this article, you’ll know what does a deactivated Facebook account look like and other important information about deactivation.
What Does a Deactivated Facebook Account Look Like?
If you’re asking yourself, “what do my friends see when I deactivate Facebook,” you’re on the right track. But before we answer that question, we’ll discuss what does deactivate means.
In its simplest meaning, deactivate means to make something inactive. Remember, you can reactivate your FB account after deactivating it.
Now, what does a deactivated Facebook account look like? As you can see in the photo below, your friends can only see a blank profile photo and your name on their Friends list. When they click on your name, a message will appear stating that your account is deactivated.
What Happens If You Deactivate Your FB Account?
At first, your friends will notice after you’ve deactivated your account is that your profile is not visible to them anymore. Your friends can still see your name on their Friends list but with no profile photo.
Also, you will not be able to access Oculus products or information using your Facebook account. However, group administrators may still view your posts, comments, and name.
Another result of your deactivation is page disabling. The pages that only you have access to will likewise be disabled. People who search for your page will not be able to find it if it is disabled.
You can assign another administrator or give complete authority to someone else so your page will still be up. Some data, such as past messages you sent to friends, may still be visible.
Keep in mind that your Messenger will still be active when you deactivate your Facebook account. It will continue to function as long as you’re logged into Messenger. People can still look for you to send you a message. But if you want a total deactivation, you can check how to disable your Messenger.
Signs of a Deactivated Facebook Account
Are you still unsure if an account is deactivated? Here are some signs you can check.
1. Check your Friends list again
If you haven’t unfriended them, you can double-check to see if they’re still on your Friends list. Simply sign in to your Facebook account and go to your personal page. Click on your Friends list and look for that specific person.
2. Search them on Facebook
When the person is no longer on your Friends list, you might try searching for them on Facebook. Type in their full name on the search bar to see what results appear. To receive the most accurate search results, click on the “People” option.
If you don’t find this person’s name in the search results, they have likely deactivated their Facebook account.
3. Ask your mutuals
When you have mutuals with that person, you might want to ask them if they can view the person’s profile. When they can see the profile, the user has blocked you. However, if they cannot see the profile, it’s safe to say that they have deactivated their account.
4. Search them on Messenger
Another way you can check is through Messenger. If you can search your conversation with them, they deactivated their account if they have no profile photo. But if you cannot find them entirely, they either deleted their account or blocked you.
How to Deactivate Your Facebook Account via Mobile Phone?
If you’re planning to deactivate your Facebook account anytime soon, you can easily do it through your mobile phone. The process is basically the same for Android or Apple phones, but we’ll still give you a step-by-step for each one.
Android
Here’s how to deactivate Facebook on Android:
1. Open the Facebook app on your device
2. Tap the three-lined icon at the top-right corner
3. Tap Settings & Privacy
4. Tap Settings
5. Tap Personal and Account Information
6. Tap Account Ownership and Control
7. Tap Deactivation and Deletion
8. Tap Deactivate Account
Apple
Here’s how to deactivate Facebook on iPhone or other Apple products:
1. Tap the Facebook iOS app and tap on the three-lined icon in the bottom right corner
2. Scroll down until you see the Settings & Privacy and tap on it
3. Tap Settings
4. Tap Personal and Account Information
5. Tap Account Ownership and Control at the top
6. Tap Deactivate Account
How to Deactivate Your Facebook Account via Desktop?
If you have a laptop or a desktop, deactivating your Facebook account is very easy. First, open your internet browser and go to //www.facebook.com/. Second, click on the drop-down menu at the top-right corner. Third, click Settings & Privacy, then Settings.
Fourth, click Your Facebook Information found on the left part of the page. Fifth, scroll down to the bottom and tap Deactivate and Deletion. Finally, you can select Deactivate Account and then click Continue to account deactivation.
Deleting vs. Deactivation, vs. Blocking
If you’re not that techy or pretty much using Facebook 24/7, you may find it hard to differentiate between a deleted or deactivated account. Or even when you’re already blocked. Here’s a table on how to know if your Facebook account is deactivated or deleted or if you’re blocked.
How Do You Take a Break from Facebook
You have options when it comes to taking a Facebook break. It’s either not using the app for a while or deactivating your account. Always weigh if you want to give up Facebook for a few days or if you want to delete it. The reasons behind the deactivation may vary from one person to the next, but here are some of the usual ones:
- Privacy concerns
- Cutting screen time
- Employment-related issues
- Using a new social networking site
- Mental health break
Of course, there are benefits to deactivating your account. Here are some of them:
- Reduces eye strain
- For your mental health
- Doing more physical activities
How to Reactivate Your FB Account
Deactivating your Facebook account is not like Facebook Jail where you sometimes can’t reactivate your account anymore. All you need to do if you have deactivated your FB account is log back in. If you forgot your password, there’s a way to change it. Your profile and personal details remain, and your old messages and comments will also reappear.
Facebook makes it incredibly simple to reactivate. It’s true when you have provided your mobile or phone number. Some users have reported receiving texts from Facebook enticing them to return.
You can also watch this video if you want a more visual and auditory tutorial:
Can People See My Profile Even If I Deactivate My Account?
Basically, they can’t see your profile. However, there are some residuals that they can view. Here are some pieces of information others can still see if you deactivate your Facebook account:
Can You Hide Your Facebook Profile
Sometimes, you just want to make your Facebook profile less visible to others. Aside from deactivation. There are several privacy settings you can use to keep your information private. You can either:
- Hide your account from specific people (hide posts or block them)
- Hide from public searches
Disconnect by Deactivating
Now that you know what does a deactivated Facebook account look like, you can now check your Friends list. See if they have deactivated their account, or maybe they blocked you. You can also deactivate your FB account either through mobile phone or desktop.
Just keep in mind that it’s not your business if your friend decides to deactivate their account. We have our own reasons behind it.