> Knowledge of the legal environment in every country for a global operation makes programming in assembly seem trivial by comparison.

That may be so but they still need to comply.

I've just signed up with the same email address I had on my old account. I can't say for certain whether my data has been permanently deleted but I can't find any of it.

I'll try to get in touch with others who have had access to my old posts and comments and see if they are still there.

Edit to add:

The deletion option on Facebook states:

    Delete account
    This is permanent.
    When you delete your Facebook account, you won't be able to retrieve the content or information that you've shared on Facebook. Your Messenger and all of your messages will also be deleted.