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Facebook Privacy Summary

facebook.comLast updated: 02/23/2026
Social Media
High Exposure
See methodology

Social networking platform for connecting, sharing posts/media, messaging, buying/selling (Marketplace) and personalized ads across Meta’s Facebook ecosystem.

This summary was generated using AI and may contain errors or omissions. Learn about our methodology. Always refer to the original privacy policy for legal purposes.

Quick Summary

  • What They Collect: Contact, profile, content, device signals, location, payments, and off‑platform activity via pixels and partners (25 words max).
  • How They Use & Share It: Provide services, personalize ads, measure performance, develop AI; share across Meta Companies, advertisers, service providers and law enforcement (25 words max).
  • Your Rights: Manage settings, download data, request deletion (subject to preservation), opt-out of some ads and marketing communications (25 words max).

Why You Should Care About Facebook's Privacy Practices

  • High‑risk data collection: Meta collects sensitive and financial information plus location and off‑platform browsing data which can be used for profiling and ads.
  • Real‑world impact: Extensive profiling enables highly targeted ads, content ranking and potential discrimination through automated decisions affecting visibility and opportunities.
  • Scale & influence: Meta serves billions across Facebook/Instagram/Messenger, meaning pervasive tracking impacting daily social, shopping and messaging activities.
  • Actionable concern: Data retention, cross‑service sharing and international transfers increase risk of reuse, surveillance, and legal access to your information.

Privacy Highlights

What They Collect

  • Account information (email, phone, username)
  • User content and files (posts, photos, videos, messages, AI prompts)
  • Demographic information (age, education, gender where provided)
  • Feedback data (surveys, feature feedback)
  • Payment information (truncated credit card info, billing, transaction history)

How They Share Data

  • Business affiliates (other Meta Companies / cross‑service sharing)
  • Service providers (cloud, analytics, customer support vendors)
  • Third-party partners (integrated apps, developers, measurement vendors)
  • Advertising partners and measurement vendors

Data Retention

Data may be preserved beyond deletion for legal obligations, safety or investigations; user content deletion can take up to ~90 days and additional time to remove from backups; retention varies by purpose and law.

Your Rights

  • Access data
  • Rectify data
  • Erase or limit processing (delete account/content; note preservation exceptions)
  • Object to processing (where applicable)

Detailed Analysis

Concerning Practices

  • Shares data broadly across Meta Companies and with advertisers/measurement vendors
  • Collects extensive, detailed personal and behavioral data (on and off-platform)
  • Uses data for profiling and targeted ads (including Meta Audience Network)
  • Transfers personal data internationally to many countries
  • Preserves data after account deletion for legal, safety, and integrity reasons (retention/backups)
  • Certain sensitive categories processed if user provides them (religion, sexual orientation, health) with consent

Personal Data Types

Account information (email, phone, username)User content and files (posts, photos, videos, messages, AI prompts)Demographic information (age, education, gender where provided)Feedback data (surveys, feature feedback)Payment information (truncated credit card info, billing, transaction history)Profile information (name, profile picture, bio)Sales and marketing data (ad interactions, purchase history, Marketplace activity)Support data (support requests, photos provided for support)Browser information (user agent, cookies, in-app browser history)Geolocation information (GPS, IP-based location estimates)Service usage information (features used, time/frequency/duration)Website usage data (visits to sites with Meta Pixel or Social plugins)Information from other users (tags, messages, shared content)Publicly available information (content shared with Public audience)

Tracking Methods

Essential cookiesAnalytics cookiesAdvertising cookiesSocial media cookiesPixel tags (Meta Pixel)Web beaconsLocal storage and device identifiers

Third Parties

Business affiliates (other Meta Companies / cross‑service sharing)Service providers (cloud, analytics, customer support vendors)Third-party partners (integrated apps, developers, measurement vendors)Advertising partners and measurement vendorsGovernment authorities and law enforcement when required

User Controls

Access dataRectify dataErase or limit processing (delete account/content; note preservation exceptions)Object to processing (where applicable)Data portability (download your information)Withdraw consent (where consent applies)Opt-out of marketing communications (subject to settings and law)Delete account (deletion process described, may take time and have exceptions)

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Legal Disclaimer

This analysis is provided for informational purposes only and should not be used as legal advice. Privacy Exposure ratings and summaries are AI-generated assessments based on publicly available privacy policies — they are not statements of fact and may contain errors. Learn how ratings are determined. Consult with legal professionals for matters requiring legal guidance.