Facebook will still have a lot of data on you, even if you don't use their services.

Their Like-Buttons that are spread on a lot of the web, allow them to track your IP-address and what webpage you're on (thanks to the HTTP referrer). They also have an analytics library that some webpages use, giving them the same data and more.

And your friends probably have you in their contacts on their phones, which is uploaded to WhatsApp's server (unless none of them uses WhatsApp).

> Facebook will still have a lot of data on you, even if you don't use their services.

That doesn't mean you should not stop giving them even more information by you directly using their services.

There are various mechanisms to preventing tracking like using an ad blocker to prevent loading tracking elements, preventing 3rd party cookies from being set, using something like noscript to block javascript from facebook/google/etc, and using Tor. Many of these don't take long at all to configure.

Which is definitely not what I was trying to argue here.

You implied that one does not need governmental help to protect against Facebook. That's what I argued against. No matter how informed you are about Facebook's practices and no matter how technologically skilled you are, you cannot be sure that Facebook doesn't have your data.

It's not that I don't agree you don't need governmental help to protect against facebook, but rather that it's very unlikely to come from the US government any time soon. You'd be better off taking active steps to protect yourself as much as possible (admittedly won't be complete protection) than sitting around hoping someone in DC will care enough to protect you. The current trend is that things will get worse before they get better (if ever). Write your congress folks, etc etc, I guess.

I agree with you on principle and wish I could do that. I already protect myself quite a bit from Facebook. I always use a browser with ad blocking, tracker blocking, etc. I don't go around "liking" cat videos and whatever other "cool" stuff or entertainment that others post. I don't visit my news feed. I don't even use it to post any personal stuff, and use it for specific social causes and some events around that. I can't avoid Facebook (though I hate the company and its practices) because this is where most of my target audience is.

> If facebook bleeds enough users, maybe they'll become motivated to change

By that point, they'll he on their last leg, and we'll be worrying about the next social network.

Facebook will acquire and own the next social network. They have Instagram, Whatsapp and tbh already. Facebook.com is just the older network and 1 shell of the entire Facebook machine.