Delete Facebook: WhatsApp co-founder's caustic remark over targeted ads

WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton has once against asked people to delete Facebook as the social media giant faces intense scrutiny amid regular users' privacy lapses.

Speaking at the Wired's 25th anniversary summit, Acton told the audience that he stands by his decision to leave Facebook.

"If you want to be on Facebook and you want to have ads thrust in front of you, go to town," he was quoted as saying in The Verge report.

In March, speaking publicly about his differences with Facebook, Acton urged Stanford University students to delete their Facebook accounts, as he explained his reasons for selling the app to Mark Zuckerberg in the first place.

 

"We give them the power. That's the bad part. We buy their products. We sign up for these websites. Delete Facebook, right?" Acton was quoted as saying.

Acton started WhatsApp with co-founder Jan Koum. Facebook acquired the messaging service in 2014 for $22 billion.

Previously, in an interview with Forbes, Acton had explained that a disagreement on monetising WhatsApp was the reason he quit Facebook and gave up $850 million on the table.

"At the end of the day, I sold my company. I sold my users' privacy. I made a choice and a compromise. I live with that every day," Forbes had quoted Acton as saying.

Acton alleged that Zuckerberg was in a rush to make money from the messaging service and undermine elements of its encryption technology.

"Targeted advertising is what makes me unhappy," Acton said.