Messenger

"We collect and receive information from partners, measurement vendors, marketing vendors and other third parties about a variety of your information and activities on and off our Products. Here are some examples of information that we receive about you: Your device information, Websites that you visit and cookie data, such as through Social plugins or the Meta pixel, Apps you use, Games you play, Purchases and transactions you make off of our Products."

Meta collects extensive data about users from third-party partners including browsing activity, app usage, and purchases made outside Meta products, and shares user data broadly with advertisers, measurement vendors, and marketing vendors.

"We use information across your accounts on our Products to: Personalise ads for you and others, Measure the performance of those ads, Provide more personalised features, content and suggestions across our Products, More accurately count people and understand how they use our Products. One reason why we use your information across devices is to help us give you a more personalised experience. For example, we might show you an ad on your phone, and later you might use your laptop to click on the ad and buy the product."

Meta explicitly tracks users across multiple devices and services, linking activity across phones, laptops, and connected TVs, and combines this with data from third-party websites and apps to build unified advertising profiles.

"We also receive and use some location-related information even if location services is turned off. This includes: IP addresses, which we use to estimate your general location. We can use IP addresses to estimate your specific location if it's necessary to protect the safety and security of you or others. Your and others' activity on our Products, such as check-ins and events. Information that you give us directly, such as if you enter your current city on your profile."

Meta collects location data even when users have explicitly turned off location services on their devices, using IP addresses, Wi-Fi access points, Bluetooth signals, and cell towers to determine user location.

"Device signals include GPS, Bluetooth signals, nearby Wi-Fi access points, beacons and cell towers. Information about the network that you connect your device to and your Internet connection includes: The name of your mobile operator or Internet service provider (ISP), Language, Time zone, Mobile phone number, IP address, Connection and download speed, Network capabilities, Information about other devices that are nearby or on your network, Wi-Fi hotspots you connect to using our Products."

Meta collects extensive device data far beyond core functionality, including Bluetooth signals, nearby Wi-Fi access points, cell tower data, information about other nearby devices on your network, and mouse movement patterns.

"In some cases, we may preserve your information based on the above reasons even after you request deletion of your account or some of your content. We also preserve information from accounts that have been disabled and content that has been removed for violations of our terms and policies. Your information, including financial transaction data, may be preserved and accessed for a longer time period if it's related to: A legal request or obligation, A governmental investigation, An investigation of possible violations of our terms or policies, To prevent harm."

Meta retains data on a vague case-by-case basis with no clear deletion timelines, and can preserve user information indefinitely even after account deletion under broad justifications like 'to prevent harm' or potential policy violations.

"If you request that we delete your account or content, it may take up to 90 days to delete your information after we begin the account deletion process or receive a content deletion request. After the information is deleted, it may take us up to another 90 days to remove it from backups and disaster recovery. If you leave your deleted content in your recycle bin on Facebook or your Recently deleted folder on Instagram, the deletion process will begin automatically in 30 days."

Account deletion takes up to 180 days total (90 days to delete plus 90 more days to remove from backups), and Meta reserves the right to preserve data even after deletion requests under broad circumstances.

"We'll notify you before we make material changes to this Policy. You'll have the opportunity to review the revised Policy before you choose to continue using our products."

While Meta promises notification of material changes, the framing implies that continuing to use the products constitutes acceptance of new terms, with the only alternative being to stop using the service entirely.