Computer hacking group Anonymous has threatened to “kill” Facebook over privacy concerns and the alleged use of user information by authoritarian regimes.
The loosely-affiliated group of international hacktivists has issued a warning through YouTube that it would take down the social networking site in November.
"Prepare for a day that will go down in history. November 5th, 2011," Anonymous warned. "Your medium of communication you all so dearly adore will be destroyed."
The significance is that Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the House of Lords in the UK on November 5th, 1605. One of the Anonymous's symbols is a mask of Fawkes made famous in the film V for Vendetta.
The group has previously claimed responsibility for attacks on Rupert Murdoch's media empire and the website of the Syrian Defence Ministry.
"Facebook has been selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information security firms so that they can spy on people from around the world," the group said, adding that some of those firms are working for authoritarian governments such Egypt and Syria.
"Everything you do on Facebook stays on Facebook regardless of your 'privacy' settings, and deleting your account is impossible,” it said.
Deleting one's Facebook account does not delete your information from the company's computers "and can be recovered at any time," it said.
"Facebook knows more about you than your family," it said. “You are not safe from them nor from any government. One day you will look back on this and realise what we have done here is right, you will thank the rulers of the internet, we are not harming you but saving you.”
Facebook has not issued an official response.
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