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Deleting the data in your account settings isn't going to necessarily remove it from Facebook's database. Getting a vanity number that spells your first name or nickname would be a better workaround IMO, and you can set business hours and such to control your potential employer's access to you :P

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I believe GDPR specifies right of erasure, and if Facebook doesn't delete the phone number you "deleted", Facebook will face much larger problems.

My comment was fairly US-centric, as we don't have GDPR. In the EU that'd be much more useful, as the cost of phone numbers in Europe and calling rates vary wildly, and can be quite exorbitant in some countries.

Facebook still operates as a business in the EU and can therefore be fined there. As a similar example, Google was fined €50 million earlier this year as a result of a GDPR violation.

Can Facebook be fined by the EU for actions outside the EU that only affect users outside the EU? Sure, but it would likely create political waves and I'd doubt it'd happen. Global enforcement of GDPR isn't realistic, as the EU doesn't have worldwide jurisdiction.

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