In the wake of Metas decision to remove its third-party fact-checking system and loosen content moderation policies, Google searches on how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads have been on the rise.People who are angry with the decision accuse Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg of cozying up to the incoming Trump administration at the expense of making the companys social media platforms into more of a hotbed for misinformation and polarizing speech. Zuckerbergs remarks that the companys third-party fact checkers were too politically biased for his vision of free expression probably didnt help matters.So if you, like countless others, have had it with Metas algorithms whipping you into a frenzy over [insert cultural or political issue here] and are tired of the company slurping up your data to train its AI or target advertising, then read on.Image Credits:MetaIf youre really set on deleting (and not just deactivating) your Facebook account, you should download your personal information from the Facebook archives, which includes photos, active sessions, chat history, IP addresses, facial recognition data, and ads you clicked on.Note that these instructions require a computer and a web browser, not a mobile phone. Heres what to do:Click the down arrow under your profile picture in the upper-right corner.Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings.Scroll down on the left-hand column till you get to Your information, and click Download your information.You will be prompted to visit the Accounts Center. Click Continue.When the pop-up appears, click Download or transfer information.You can choose information from which accounts, including your Facebook, Instagram, and Meta Horizon accounts, to download. Click Next.Choose how much information you want to download, and click Next. Note from FB: If you select Specific types of information, you will be able to choose which kinds of information you want to download, including data logs.Decide if you want to download your info to a device or directly transfer your info to a destination and click Next.If you select Transfer to destination, you can choose the destination and schedule future transfers. Once you make your selection, click Start transfer and enter your Facebook profile password.If you select Download to device, choose your file options. There will be a list that lets you create a date range, and you can download in HTML or JSON, and choose between high, medium, or low media quality.Click Submit request.How to delete your Facebook accountImage Credits:MetaNote: If you do delete your account, you cannot regain access to it. Facebook delays deletion for a few days after its requested and will cancel your deletion request if you log back into Facebook during this time.Also worth noting, some information like messaging history isnt stored in your account, so your friends might still have access to messages you sent after your account is deleted.With that in mind, heres how to do it:Click your profile picture in the top right corner.Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings.Click Accounts Center at the top left of the screen.Click Personal details, under Account Settings.Click Account ownership and control.Click Deactivation or deletion.Choose the account or profile you want to deactivate.Select Deactivate account.Click Continue and follow instructions to confirm.There are two ways to find the web page where youll download your Instagram information you go through the Accounts Center or your Instagram Settings. For the former, navigate to Your information and permissions to find Download your information. To get to Instagram Settings, click on the three parallel lines on the bottom left of your screen, then click Your activityEither of those steps will take you to the Download your information page. Youll need to click the profiles you want to download your information from and choose if you want to download it to a device or directly transfer the information to another destination.If you select Download to device, youll have to pick a date range, notification email, format of your download request, and quality of photos, videos, and other media the same as with downloading your Facebook info. Then click Create files.Once youve made the request, itll appear as In progress under the Current Activity tab in the Download your information tool. Instagram will notify you by email and on the app when its ready to go, and youll have four days to download the information.How to delete your Instagram accountDownloaded your info? Now youre ready to permanently delete.Heres how to do it on the web page:Go directly to Accounts ownership and control settings in the Accounts Center.Click Deactivation or deletion.Click the account you want to delete.Click Delete account, then click Continue.Once your account is deleted, you can sign back up with the same username if its still available, if you have a change of heart.How to delete your Threads accountNote: If you delete the Instagram account associated with your Threads profile, that will also delete your Threads profile.But to delete only Threads, youll need to go to the Threads.net web page on a computer, and follow these steps:Click the two parallel lines in the bottom left of the page, then click Settings.Click Account at the top, then Deactivate or delete profile.Click Delete profile.Follow whatever prompts show up, then click Delete Threads profile.Itll take 30 days for the deletion request to go through. And if you want to sign back up with the same Instagram profile, youll have to wait 90 days.