Campaign urging Facebook users to delete their accounts takes off after oversight board upholds Trump suspension

A campaign urging Facebook users to delete their accounts is gaining traction after the company's oversight board ruled to uphold the tech giant's decision to ban former President Donald Trump from using Facebook and its sister platform, Instagram.

What are the details?

After the board's Wednesday decision, #DeleteFacebook began trending across social media as GOP leaders demanded the company be broken up and held accountable for stifling free speech.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that the company seems "more interested in acting like a Democrat super PAC than a platform for free speech and open debate."

Trump himself issued a statement on the decision, condemning the company.

His remarks read, "What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and embarrassment to our Country. Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before. The People of our Country will not stand for it! These corrupt social media companies must pay a political price, and must never again be allowed to destroy and decimate our Electoral Process."

#DeleteFacebook, according to a Newsweek report, began trending on various platforms, as users expressed their disappointment with the tech company and debated deleting their related social media profiles.

According to the Washington Examiner, "thousands" of Twitter posts with the hashtag were made on Wednesday.

"Some of the tweets," the outlet wrote, "were encouraging Facebook users to delete their accounts on the platform, alleging unfair censorship, while others were simply using the hashtag in a humorous fashion."

A contingent of Twitter users also reportedly shared detailed steps on how to permanently delete Facebook.

On Wednesday, USA Today published an article titled "Delete your Facebook profile: How to quit after Trump ban decision."

According to USA Today writers Brett Molina and Josh Rivera, there are two ways to disable your Facebook page — either deactivate or delete your account.

From the article:

• Deactivate your account: According to Facebook, this move disables your profile and removes most of the comments or photos you have shared. Information such as direct messages to friends and your name in another person's friends list may still appear. Your account will reactivate any time you log in. Also important: If you use any services where a Facebook login is required, that will reactivate your account, too, which means everything is restored.
• Delete your account: If you are serious about removing Facebook from your life, you can request that your account be deleted in the Settings & Privacy area. As the option suggests, everything tied to your account is removed. Facebook says it may take up to 90 days to have all photos, status updates and other information completely removed. However, during the process, no one can view your account. Deleting also means no more commenting on websites requiring a Facebook login. It could also affect how you access apps if you chose to sign in with your Facebook credentials.

To delete your account:

• Click on the drop-down menu in the top right of Facebook.
• Select Settings & Privacy, then click Settings.
• Click Your Facebook Information in the left column.
• Click Deactivation and Deletion.
• Choose Permanently Delete Account, then click Continue to Account Deletion.
• Click Delete Account, enter your password and then click Continue.