After 15 years: Facebook takes Like and comment buttons offline
For 15 years, Facebook's Like button has been an integral part of the internet. Now its end is nigh, scheduled to disappear on February 10th.
"Thumbs-up" button
(Image: Facebook)
Facebook is retiring the Like button and the comment function for external pages. On February 10, 2026, both will be automatically removed, even if those responsible for embedding them do not take action. Meta announced this in a blog post, which speaks of a strategic decision in favor of the tools and features that are most valuable. The technology is no longer up-to-date and “its use has declined as the digital landscape has evolved,” it further states. The shutdown should not cause errors on the pages where they are embedded. However, those who wish can also remove the plug-in themselves.
Widespread and hotly debated
With this announcement, Facebook is now signaling the end of the Like button 15 years after its introduction. The social network introduced it in 2010 at the f8 developer conference. Users should be able to signal what they like outside of Facebook. In return, those responsible for embedding websites were promised greater visibility and higher traffic. Even if the button was not used at all, it provided Facebook with a lot of information about visitors. The US company could thus track which websites visitors were accessing. The consequences for data protection were therefore sharply criticized. There were also numerous legal disputes surrounding the Like button.
Because Facebook's approach was incompatible with the data protection and privacy ideals of heise online and c't, two techniques were developed over the years to mitigate the problem. While these allowed the buttons to be embedded, they did not automatically send data to Facebook. The “Shariff” project from 2011 required a second click – hence “2 clicks for more data protection”. In 2018, Embetty followed, an open-source project for privacy-friendly integration of the Like button and similar plug-ins from other internet portals.
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Facebook now announces that the Like and comment buttons will only be rendered as 0×0 pixels from February 10th, meaning both will become invisible. This will ensure that no errors appear on the pages and their functionality is maintained. This is intended to prevent potential negative consequences if those responsible for the pages do not take action by then. Nevertheless, they can also remove the buttons “if they wish.” For further questions, Facebook refers to an FAQ, which, among other things, specifically points out that there will be a shift in the deadline.
(mho)
