[mootothemax]

From what I understand, if you log back in to your account within 14 days* then the delete request is cancelled and everything goes back to normal.

It makes me wonder if Facebook had a bad couple of days of people deleting their accounts and Mark Zuckerberg thought "Right, we've got 7 days to fix this and get them logging in again, let's get to it!"

* I could have the precise timeframe wrong

[aristus]

This is unfortunately a common misperception. If you deactivate your account you can bring it back. If you delete it the data is deleted.

[CodeMage]

This is unfortunately a common misperception.

Wrong. If you deactivate your account, you can bring it back. If you request it to be deleted, you have 14 days to cancel that request (by simply logging in) before it's deleted. Once it's deleted, that's the end -- you can't bring it back.

(edited to make clear which part of your comment is wrong)

[aristus]

Ah, you are correct. I just tried it (with a dummy account). Apologies. I work at FB but don't delete my account often. :)

It looks like you will be asked to confirm deletion if you log in during the waiting period. Simply logging back in will not cancel the deletion request.

"Your account has been deactivated from the site and will be permanently deleted within 14 days. If you log into your account within the next 14 days, your account will be reactivated and you will have the option to cancel your request."

[mootothemax]

Ok, I'm confused. I've just taken a look at the WikiHow page, and that says there's a delay of 14 days before the account's actually deleted:

http://www.wikihow.com/Permanently-Delete-a-Facebook-Account

Who's right?

[apphacker]

It took 14 days for my account to be deleted.