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Privacy policy

Meta

Meta Privacy Policy - How Meta collects and uses user data

C

Risk score

38of 100

Open the original (new tab)Company page

In short

  • This document explains how Meta collects, uses, and shares your personal information across its family of apps.
  • You accept that Meta tracks your activity to show personalized ads and shares data with other Meta Companies like WhatsApp.
  • The policy also states that Meta keeps your data indefinitely based on their business needs.

What you accept

If you use this site

Everyday words for the material promises and rights you give up. Each line includes a quote from the document.

Fineprint cannot see whether you agreed. This page is posted on their site. Open the original if you need to know how they say it applies.

  1. 01

    You are agreeing to allow Meta to share your information with other Meta Companies like WhatsApp to provide a seamless experience.

    Other products, stores, or brands

    “We share information we collect globally... We share information we collect, infrastructure, systems and technology with the other Meta Companies.”
  2. 02

    You are agreeing to let Meta keep your information as long as they need it for various legitimate purposes.

    This product

    “We keep information as long as we need it to provide our Products, comply with legal obligations or protect our or other’s interests. We decide how long we need information on a case-by-case basis.”

What it can cost you

Downsides we could quote

Quoted clauses that can affect your privacy, money, or right to go to court — including terms that follow you to other products.

Highest-cost clauses first

High cost

Indefinite retention

You are agreeing to let Meta decide when to delete your data based on their internal needs.

“We keep information as long as we need it to provide our Products, comply with legal obligations or protect our or other’s interests. We decide how long we need information on a case-by-case basis.”

What that means: Your data may be kept indefinitely without a clear timeline for deletion.

Meta decides how long to keep your data based on vague criteria like 'legitimate interests' or operational needs, rather than a fixed schedule.

High cost

Tracking you across apps

You are agreeing to let Meta track your activity on other sites and apps using data from partners.

“We’ll use information that advertisers, businesses and other partners provide us about activity off the Meta Company Products that we have associated with you to personalize ads that we show you on our Products, and on websites, apps and devices that use our advertising services.”

What that means: Your browsing habits on other websites and apps are tracked and used to influence what ads you see on Meta platforms.

Meta collects data from third parties about your activity outside their apps to build a profile for ad targeting.

Medium cost

Terms follow you to parks, stores, and other products

You are agreeing to cross-app data sharing within the Meta family of products.

“We are part of the Meta Companies that provide Meta Company Products. Meta Company Products include all the Meta Products covered by this Policy, plus other products like WhatsApp and more. We share information we collect... with the other Meta Companies.”

What that means: Your privacy choices in Facebook do not necessarily apply to or control data sharing within WhatsApp.

Data collected in one app can be shared across the entire family of Meta services, including WhatsApp.

People also accept these terms in

The same company terms often apply on these apps or devices. This is a lookup aid, not a claim we caught this company.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Whatsapp
  • Meta Quest
  • Oculus

If these terms already apply to you

Keep this list. Fineprint cannot undo or cancel something you already agreed to at the company.

We cannot see Agree on their site. With Premium, tap “I accepted these terms” if you already agreed to what Meta asks.