Facebook

Facebook collects a huge amount of data about you, even on other sites and apps, and keeps it after you delete your account. You grant a broad license to your content, and disputes are pushed toward forced arbitration in many regions.

🚨 Key things to watch out for

The clauses that could affect you the most. Read these even if you skip everything else.

Meta gets a broad, royalty-free, transferable license to all content you post, including the right to sub-license it to others, and this license can survive even after you delete your content.

3.3

Your name, profile picture, and actions can be used in advertisements shown to others without your permission or any compensation to you.

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📋 Every clause, explained

Browse what the terms actually say — filter by severity or by topic.

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Showing 23 clauses

1Services We Provide3 clauses

⚠️

Extensive behavioral profiling for personalization

📥Data collection

1-A

💬 Meta collects and uses data about your social connections, preferences, and everything you do on the platform to build a profile of you and personalize what you see, including ads.

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“Meta customizes your experience across products based on your connections, preferences, and activities.”

⚠️

AI and machine learning applied to user data

🤖AI training on your data

1-B

💬 Meta uses AI and machine learning on your data. While framed as being for safety and accessibility, this broad language could cover training AI models on user-generated content and behavioral data.

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“The company employs advanced technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and augmented reality to enhance safety and accessibility.”

⚠️

Data sharing across Meta entities

🔗Shares with third parties

1-C

💬 Your information can be shared across all of Meta's companies (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.), which means your data from one service can be combined with data from others.

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“Information sharing with Meta entities to address abuse”

1.4Communications1 clause

ℹ️

Broad permission for Meta to contact you

📌Other

14-A

💬 Meta can send you communications about a wide range of topics including research and product promotions, not just essential service notifications.

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“Meta may send emails or in-product notifications regarding products, research, conditions, and policies.”

1.5Global Infrastructure Access1 clause

⚠️

Global data distribution

🗄️Data retention

15-A

💬 Your content and data may be transferred and stored anywhere in the world, including in countries with weaker data protection laws. The mention of 'partners' means third-party companies may also host your data.

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“Meta transfers, stores, and distributes content across worldwide data centers and partners to enable global communication.”

2How Our Services Are Funded2 clauses

⚠️

Extensive ad targeting data collection

📥Data collection

2-A

💬 The 'free' version of Facebook is funded by ads, which means Meta has a strong financial incentive to collect as much data about you as possible to make ads more targeted and valuable to advertisers.

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“Meta displays relevant advertisements from companies that pay Meta to promote content”

ℹ️

Aggregate data shared with advertisers

🔗Shares with third parties

2-B

💬 Meta shares summarized demographic and interest data with advertisers. While it's in aggregate form, this still means your interests and demographics are being categorized and used commercially.

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“Shares demographic and interest data in aggregate form only”

3.1Who Can Use Facebook2 clauses

⚠️

Real name requirement

📌Other

31-A

💬 You must use your real name on Facebook. This means you cannot use a pseudonym for privacy, which can be a concern for people who need anonymity for safety reasons (activists, abuse survivors, etc.).

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“Use your real everyday name for your account”

ℹ️

One account policy with no transfer rights

⛔Account termination

31-B

💬 You can only have one account and you cannot transfer it. If your account is terminated, you lose access to all your content, connections, and history with no way to recover it through another account.

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“Create one personal account. Never share passwords or transfer accounts.”

3.3Permissions You Grant5 clauses

🔴

Broad royalty-free content license

📄Claims your content

33-A

💬 When you post anything on Facebook, you give Meta a free, worldwide license to use, copy, modify, and distribute your content. They can also transfer this license to other companies ('sub-licensable' and 'transferable'). You get no payment for this.

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“When sharing content on Meta Products, users grant Meta "a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license" to use, store, copy, distribute, and modify the content for service provision.”

⚠️

Content persists even after deletion

🗄️Data retention

33-B

💬 Even after you delete your content, Meta and third parties may keep it. If someone else shared or interacted with your content, or if Meta cites legal/security reasons, your content may never truly be deleted.

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“Content remains if: Third parties continue using it under the license; Technical limitations prevent deletion; Retention is necessary for legal investigations, security, or regulatory compliance”

⚠️

90-day backup retention after deletion

🗄️Data retention

33-C

💬 After you delete your account, Meta keeps your data in backups for up to 90 more days. During this time your data still exists on their systems.

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“Deletion of personal account content occurs automatically, though deletion from backup systems may take up to 90 additional days.”

🔴

Your likeness used in ads without compensation

📄Claims your content

33-D

💬 Meta can use your name, profile picture, and actions (like liking a page) in advertisements shown to other people, and you won't be paid anything for it. Your friends might see ads that say you liked a product or brand.

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“User names, profile images, and action information may appear in advertisements without compensation.”

⚠️

Forced automatic software updates

📌Other

33-E

💬 Meta can push software updates to your device whenever they want without asking your permission first. These updates could change features, permissions, or how the app works.

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“Users authorize Meta to download and install software updates automatically.”

4.1Updates to Terms1 clause

⚠️

Meta can change terms with continued use as acceptance

📝Can change terms anytime

41-A

💬 Meta can change these terms whenever they want. While they give 30 days' notice, simply continuing to use Facebook after that period means you've agreed to the new terms, even if you never read them. Your only option to disagree is to stop using the platform entirely.

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“Meta modifies these terms when necessary for safety, service accuracy, or legal compliance. The company notifies users at least 30 days before changes take effect. Continued use constitutes acceptance.”

4.2Account Suspension or Deletion3 clauses

⚠️

Broad discretion to suspend or delete accounts

⛔Account termination

42-A

💬 Meta can suspend or permanently delete your account for violating their rules. The terms 'clearly' and 'seriously' are subjective and determined by Meta, giving them wide discretion over your account.

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“Meta may suspend or permanently disable access if users: Clearly, seriously, or repeatedly violate terms or Community Standards; Repeatedly infringe third-party intellectual property rights; Violate applicable law”

⚠️

Immediate action without notice

⛔Account termination

42-B

💬 In some cases, Meta can suspend or delete your account immediately without warning and without giving you a chance to fix the problem. What constitutes 'immediate necessity' is determined solely by Meta.

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“Meta typically provides notice and opportunity to remedy violations unless immediate action is necessary.”

ℹ️

Inactive account deletion

⛔Account termination

42-C

💬 Meta can delete your account if you don't use it for a while. The term 'extended periods' is vague — they don't specify how long you can be inactive before losing your account and all its data.

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“Account deletion may occur if: Accounts remain unconfirmed after registration; Accounts remain inactive for extended periods; Unauthorized use is detected”

4.3Limitation of Liability1 clause

🔴

Broad liability exclusion

🛡️Limits their liability

43-A

💬 Meta accepts almost no legal responsibility for problems caused by using their platform. Unless their negligence causes death, injury, or they commit fraud, they won't compensate you for any losses. If their platform causes you financial harm, reputational damage, or emotional distress, you likely have no recourse.

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“Meta excludes liability except for death, personal injury, or fraudulent misrepresentation due to negligence. The company accepts no responsibility for: Losses not caused by term violations; Unforeseeable damages; Events beyond reasonable control”

4.4Dispute Resolution1 clause

⚠️

Commercial disputes locked to Irish courts

📍Jurisdiction

44-A

💬 If you have a business-related dispute with Meta, you must go to court in Ireland under Irish law, regardless of where you live. This can be extremely expensive and impractical for most businesses outside Ireland.

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“Commercial disputes: Resolved in Irish courts under Irish law without conflict-of-law provisions.”

4.5Miscellaneous2 clauses

ℹ️

Username can be changed by Meta

📌Other

45-A

💬 Meta can change your username without your consent. The 'certain circumstances' are not clearly defined, leaving this to Meta's discretion.

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“Meta may change usernames in certain circumstances”

⚠️

User feedback used without compensation

📄Claims your content

45-B

💬 Any suggestions, ideas, or feedback you give Meta can be used by them in any way they want, and they don't have to pay you or credit you for it. If you suggest a feature that becomes worth millions, you get nothing.

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“User feedback may be used without restriction or compensation”

5Other Conditions and Policies That May Apply1 clause

⚠️

Extensive supplementary terms by reference

📌Other

5-A

💬 You are bound by at least 20 additional sets of rules and policies beyond these terms. Each of these can contain their own restrictions and rights grants. Most users will never read all of these, yet they are legally binding.

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“The following policies supplement these terms: Community Standards, Content Policy Enforcement, Misuse Policy, Complaints Handling Process, Commercial Terms, Community Payment Terms, Commerce Policies, Music Guidelines, Ad Standards, Ad-Free Subscription Terms, Self-Service Ads Terms, Facebook Pages, Groups, and Events Policies, Meta Platform Policy, Developer Payment Terms, Meta Brand Elements, Recommendation Rules, Live Content Rules, Messaging Services Terms (EU/EEA), Avatar Terms, Meta AI Terms”

Facebook terms of service, explained in plain English — TOSTLDR