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Terms of use

Meta

Meta Terms of Service

D

Risk score

55of 100

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In short

  • These Terms govern your use of Facebook, Messenger, and other Meta products.
  • You give Meta a broad, transferable license to your content and allow them to use your name in ads.
  • The agreement includes provisions for data sharing within the Meta family and limits on how you can dispute legal issues.

What you accept

If you tap Agree

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

  1. 01

    You are agreeing to grant Meta a worldwide, sublicensable, and transferable license to host, copy, and modify your content, which ends only when the content is deleted from their systems.

    Other products, stores, or brands

    “you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, and worldwide license to host, use, distribute, modify, run, copy, publicly perform or display, translate, and create derivative works of your content... This license will end when your content is deleted from our systems.”
  2. 02

    You are agreeing that Meta may use your name, profile picture, and actions next to ads without paying you compensation.

    This product

    “You give us permission to use your name and profile picture and information about actions you have taken on Facebook next to or in connection with ads, offers, and other sponsored or commercial content that we display across our Products, without any compensation to you.”
  3. 03

    You are agreeing that if you are in the UK, either party can bring a claim for breach of contract regarding content removal or account suspension.

    This product

    “If you are in the UK, and either of us breaches these Terms, the other may have a right to bring a claim for breach of contract.”

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

Broad license to user content

You are agreeing to let Meta use, share, and modify your photos and videos globally.

“you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, and worldwide license to host, use, distribute, modify, run, copy, publicly perform or display, translate, and create derivative works of your content”

What that means: You lose exclusive control over your creative works as Meta can sublicense them to third parties.

The license allows Meta to transfer rights to others and create derivative works, going beyond simple hosting needs.

Medium cost

Difficult or incomplete deletion

You are agreeing to a delay where deleted content persists in backup systems for up to 120 days total.

“After the content is deleted, it may take us up to another 90 days to remove it from backups and disaster recovery systems.”

What that means: Your data remains accessible to Meta for months after you request deletion.

Full deletion is delayed significantly due to backup retention policies.

Medium cost

Tracking you across apps

You are agreeing to data usage for ad personalization.

“we show you ads that we think may be relevant to you and we use your information to help determine which ads to show you... We show you ads that we think may be relevant to you and we use your information to help determine which ads to show you.”

What that means: Your online activity and interests are analyzed to target you with specific advertisements.

Meta uses user data to personalize advertising across its ecosystem.

Medium cost

Indefinite retention

You are agreeing to indefinite retention if Meta deems it necessary for safety or law enforcement.

“Content will not be deleted within 90 days... where immediate deletion would restrict our ability to: investigate or identify illegal activity or violations of our terms and policies... protect the safety, integrity, and security... or comply with a request of a judicial or administrative authority”

What that means: Your content may remain stored even after deletion requests if Meta cites safety or legal reasons.

Data is retained indefinitely under vague conditions like safety or legal compliance.

Medium cost

Liability shifted onto the user

You are agreeing to hold Meta harmless for many types of service-related losses.

“Provided that we have acted with professional diligence, we do not accept responsibility for losses not caused by our breach of these Terms or otherwise by our acts; losses that are not reasonably foreseeable... and events beyond our reasonable control.”

What that means: You may bear the risk for losses caused by system failures or events Meta considers out of their control.

Meta limits liability for unforeseeable losses and events outside their control.

Medium cost

Terms follow you to parks, stores, and other products

You are agreeing to a corporate structure where Meta Platforms, Inc. governs your access.

“these Terms therefore constitute an agreement between you and Meta Platforms, Inc.... your use of Instagram is subject to the Instagram Terms of Use”

What that means: Your primary account holder is Meta, connecting your legal standing to the broader company.

While Instagram has separate terms, the core relationship is with Meta Platforms, Inc., creating a corporate structure link.

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.