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Terms of use

Meta

Meta Terms of Service

D

Risk score

61of 100

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In short

  • These Terms give Meta wide permission to use your posted content, including photos and videos, across its family of apps like Instagram and Messenger.
  • You agree to allow personalized ads based on your data and accept that the service is provided 'as is' with limited liability for Meta.
  • If you leave or are removed, Meta keeps copies of your content in backups for up to 90 days.

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 that Meta gets a broad, transferable license to host, share, and modify any content you upload to Facebook and related Meta products.

    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”
  2. 02

    You are agreeing to let Meta show you personalized ads and use your personal data to target them.

    This product

    “by using our Products, you agree that we can show you ads that we think may be relevant to you and your interests. We use your personal data to help determine which personalized ads to show you.”
  3. 03

    You are agreeing that if you delete your account or content, Meta may keep it in backup systems for up to 90 days.

    This product

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

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 give Meta broad legal permission to share and reuse your uploaded content.

“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: Meta can share or license your photos and posts to other companies without asking again.

The license allows Meta to transfer rights and sublicense your content to others, going beyond simple storage needed for the service.

High cost

Liability shifted onto the user

You are agreeing to limit Meta's financial responsibility for damages to at most $100.

“our aggregate liability arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Meta Products will not exceed the greater of $100 or the amount you have paid us in the past twelve months.”

What that means: If Meta’s service causes significant problems, you cannot sue for more than $100.

Meta limits its financial responsibility to a small fixed amount or what you paid, shielding itself from larger claims.

High cost

Tracking you across apps

You are agreeing to let Meta monitor your activity and interests to serve customized ads.

“We use your personal data, such as information about your activity and interests, to show you personalized ads and sponsored content that may be more relevant to you.”

What that means: Your usage patterns are analyzed to build a profile for targeted advertising.

Meta actively tracks your behavior and interests to tailor advertisements shown to you across its platforms.

Medium cost

Difficult or incomplete deletion

You are agreeing to wait up to 90 days for your deleted content to vanish from backup records.

“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 personal data stays on Meta's servers even after you ask for it to be deleted.

Deleting your account does not immediately erase all traces of your data; it remains in backup systems for three months.

Medium cost

Indefinite retention

You are agreeing that Meta may retain your data beyond the standard deletion window for legal safety.

“Content will not be deleted within 90 days... where immediate deletion would restrict our ability to: investigate or identify illegal activity... or comply with legal obligations for the preservation of evidence”

What that means: Your data may remain visible or stored even after you delete your account if Meta cites legal reasons.

Meta can keep your content indefinitely longer than the standard deletion period if they believe it is needed for legal investigations.

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.