You may port your information in certain cases under applicable law and delete specific content with Meta's tools
In certain cases and subject to applicable law you have the right to port your information. To delete specific information, Meta offers tools such as Delete buttons for content you posted and the Facebook activity log to send content to the trash in bulk; when you delete content it is no longer visible to other users. Help Center pages explain what happens when content is deleted or moved to trash and are not supplied.
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In certain cases and subject to applicable law, you have the right to
To delete your information, you can:
Find and delete specific information. We offer tools you can use to delete certain information. For example, you can use Delete buttons to delete content you’ve posted to your account. You can also use tools like activity log on Facebook to send content to the trash in bulk. When you delete content, it’s no longer visible to other users.
Qualifications & exceptions
Porting applies in certain cases and subject to applicable law.
Deleted content stops being visible to other users; what Meta retains is described in the retention section.
Not stated here
What happens to deleted content on Meta's systems; the linked pages are not supplied.
Retention & Deletion · User right or choice
Deleting your account removes your posts unless retention applies; deletion is permanent and cannot be reversed
If you delete your Facebook or Instagram account, Meta deletes your information, including things you posted such as photos and status updates, unless it needs to keep it as described in the retention section. Once the account is permanently deleted you cannot reactivate it or retrieve information, including posted content.
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we delete your information, including the things you’ve posted, such as your photos and status updates, unless we need to keep it as described in "How long do we keep your information?" Once your account is
you won’t be able to reactivate it, and you won’t be able to retrieve information, including content you’ve posted.
Qualifications & exceptions
Information Meta needs to keep under the retention section is not deleted.
Retention & Deletion · Company practice
Deletion may take up to 90 days plus up to 90 more for backups; trash items auto-delete after 30 days
If you request deletion of your account or content, it may take up to 90 days to delete the information after Meta begins the account deletion process or receives a content deletion request, and up to another 90 days to remove it from backups and disaster recovery. Content left in your Facebook trash or Instagram Recently Deleted folder starts deleting automatically after 30 days, or immediately if you delete it from that folder.
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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 trash on Facebook or your Recently Deleted folder on Instagram, the deletion process will begin automatically in 30 days. Or you can start the deletion process right away by deleting the content from your trash or Recently Deleted folder.
Qualifications & exceptions
Timing runs from the start of the deletion process or receipt of the request.
Retention & Deletion · Company practice
Meta keeps information as long as needed for Products, legal obligations or protecting interests, case by case
Meta keeps information as long as it needs it to provide its Products, comply with legal obligations or protect its or others' interests, deciding how long on a case-by-case basis. It considers whether it needs the information to operate or provide Products (for example to maintain your account), the feature it is used for and how that feature works (vanish-mode messages are kept for less time than regular messages), how long it must retain information to comply with certain legal obligations, and whether it needs it for other legitimate purposes such as preventing harm, investigating possible violations of its terms or policies, promoting safety, security and integrity, or protecting itself including its rights, property or products. The highlights add that you can request deletion and Meta will delete unless it must keep the information for something else, like legal reasons. In some instances it keeps information for an extended period.
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We keep information for as long as we need it to provide a feature or service
But you can request that we delete your information
We’ll delete that information unless we have to keep it for something else, like for legal reasons
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. Here’s what we consider when we decide:
If we need it to operate or provide our Products. For example, we need to keep some of your information to maintain your account.
The feature we use it for, and how that feature works. For example, messages sent using Messenger’s vanish mode are retained for less time than regular messages.
How long we need to retain the information to comply with certain legal obligations.
If we need it for other legitimate purposes, such as to prevent harm; investigate possible violations of our terms or policies; promote safety, security and integrity; or protect ourselves, including our rights, property or products
In some instances and for specific reasons, we’ll keep information for an extended period of time.
Qualifications & exceptions
Retention periods are decided case by case, not fixed.
Deletion requests are honored unless Meta has to keep the information for another reason.
Retention & Deletion · Company practice
Profile, photos and security data kept for the account's life; searches kept until cleared, trimmed at six months
Meta keeps profile information, photos you posted and did not delete, and security information for the lifetime of your account. Your Facebook search history is kept until you clear the search in your activity log or delete your account, after which it is no longer visible to you and is deleted; even if you do not clear it, within six months of a search Meta deletes details not needed to show your history, such as the device used or your location. For vanish-mode Messenger messages, the content is deleted one hour after the recipient reads it, or after 14 days if never read.
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For example, we keep profile information, photos you’ve posted (and not deleted) and security information for the lifetime of your account.
And when you search for something on Facebook, we keep your search history until you clear the search in your
or delete your account. Once you clear a search or delete your account, it will no longer be visible to you, and it will be deleted[70].
But even if you don’t clear your search or delete your account, within six months of your search we delete information about that search that isn’t necessary to show you your search history, like information about the device you were using, or your location.
The message will no longer be visible to May once she leaves the chat, and Cynthia will see the message only the first time she opens the chat thread.
After Cynthia reads the message, the content is deleted after one hour. If Cynthia never reads it, it’s deleted after 14 days.
Qualifications & exceptions
Search deletion follows the deletion-timing footnote carded with the deletion section.
Retention & Deletion · Restriction or exception
Information, including financial data, may be preserved longer for legal, investigative, safety and protective reasons
Meta retains information as long as needed for a legal request or obligation (including Meta Companies' obligations or compliance with applicable law), a governmental investigation, or a legal claim, complaint, litigation or regulatory proceeding. Your information, including financial transaction data for purchases or money transfers on its Products, may be preserved and accessed for a longer period if related to those matters, an investigation of possible violations of its terms or policies, preventing harm, safety, security and integrity purposes, or protecting Meta including its rights, property or products. In some cases Meta preserves information for these reasons even after you request deletion of your account or content, and may preserve information from disabled accounts and content removed for violations. The deletion tools footnote is repeated.
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For example, we retain information for as long as we need it for:
A legal request or obligation, including obligations of Meta Companies or to comply with applicable law
A governmental investigation
A legal claim, complaint, litigation or regulatory proceedings
Your information, including financial transaction data related to purchases or money transfers made on our Products, may be preserved and accessed for a longer time period if it’s related to any of the following:
A legal request or obligation, including obligations of Meta Companies or to comply with applicable law
A governmental investigation
An investigation of possible violations of our terms or policies
To prevent harm
For safety, security and integrity purposes
To protect ourselves, including our rights, property or products
If it’s needed in relation to a legal claim, complaint, litigation or regulatory proceedings
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 may also preserve information from accounts that have been disabled and content that has been removed for violations of our terms and policies.
To delete your information, you can:
When you delete content, it’s no longer visible to other users.
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies even after you request deletion, in some cases.
Covers financial transaction data from purchases and money transfers.
Not stated here
How long extended preservation lasts; no period is stated.
Account deletion and deletion timing footnotes repeated: permanent, up to 90 plus 90 days, 30-day trash
The deletion footnotes are repeated: deleting your Facebook or Instagram account deletes your information including posts unless Meta needs to keep it under the retention section, and permanent deletion cannot be reversed or recovered. Deletion may take up to 90 days after the process begins or a content request is received, plus up to another 90 days to remove from backups and disaster recovery; trash or Recently Deleted content starts deleting automatically in 30 days or sooner if you empty it.
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we delete your information, including the things you’ve posted, such as your photos and status updates, unless we need to keep it as described in "How long do we keep your information?" Once your account is
you won’t be able to reactivate it, and you won’t be able to retrieve information, including content you’ve posted.
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 trash on Facebook or your Recently Deleted folder on Instagram, the deletion process will begin automatically in 30 days. Or you can start the deletion process right away by deleting the content from your trash or Recently Deleted folder.
Qualifications & exceptions
Retention exceptions in the retention section override deletion.
Examples of why Meta might preserve information: after you delete your account it may preserve information when it receives a valid legal request such as a preservation order or search warrant related to the account; it preserves certain purchase or transaction information in line with its accounting obligations; if it disables an account for violating its terms or policies it preserves information about that user to prevent them opening a new account; it may preserve account information during reviews of suspicious activity, including suspected money laundering or terrorist funding tied to its financial products; and it may preserve information it deems necessary for a legal claim or complaint, such as defending legal proceedings related to your information.
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For example, we might preserve your information after you delete your account when we receive a valid legal request, such as a preservation order or search warrant, related to your account.
For example, we preserve certain information about purchases or transactions associated with an account, in line with Meta’s accounting obligations.
For example, if we disable an account for violating our terms or policies, we preserve information about that user to prevent them from opening a new account.
We also might preserve some of your account information as part of our review of suspicious activity. This includes any suspicious activity associated with our financial products, like suspected money laundering or terrorist funding.
We may preserve your information where we deem it necessary for reasons related to a legal claim or complaint. For example, we may be required to defend ourselves in legal proceedings in a claim related to your information.
Qualifications & exceptions
Legal-request preservation applies even after account deletion.
Litigation preservation is at Meta's judgment of necessity.
The footnote on preserving information longer is repeated: your information, including financial transaction data for purchases or money transfers on Meta's Products, may be preserved and accessed longer when related to a legal request or obligation, a governmental investigation, an investigation of possible terms or policy violations, preventing harm, safety, security and integrity purposes, protecting Meta's rights, property or products, or a legal claim, complaint, litigation or regulatory proceeding; in some cases even after you request deletion, and for disabled accounts and content removed for violations.
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Your information, including financial transaction data related to purchases or money transfers made on our Products, may be preserved and accessed for a longer time period if it’s related to any of the following:
A legal request or obligation, including obligations of Meta Companies or to comply with applicable law
A governmental investigation
An investigation of possible violations of our terms or policies
To prevent harm
For safety, security and integrity purposes
To protect ourselves, including our rights, property or products
If it’s needed in relation to a legal claim, complaint, litigation or regulatory proceedings
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 may also preserve information from accounts that have been disabled and content that has been removed for violations of our terms and policies.
Qualifications & exceptions
Applies in some cases even after a deletion request.
The preservation examples are repeated: Meta might preserve information after account deletion on a valid legal request such as a preservation order or search warrant; it preserves certain purchase or transaction information under its accounting obligations; it preserves information about users whose accounts were disabled for violations to prevent them opening new accounts; it may preserve account information during suspicious activity reviews, including suspected money laundering or terrorist funding tied to its financial products; and it may preserve information it deems necessary for a legal claim or complaint.
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For example, we might preserve your information after you delete your account when we receive a valid legal request, such as a preservation order or search warrant, related to your account.
For example, we preserve certain information about purchases or transactions associated with an account, in line with Meta’s accounting obligations.
For example, if we disable an account for violating our terms or policies, we preserve information about that user to prevent them from opening a new account.
We also might preserve some of your account information as part of our review of suspicious activity. This includes any suspicious activity associated with our financial products, like suspected money laundering or terrorist funding.
We may preserve your information where we deem it necessary for reasons related to a legal claim or complaint. For example, we may be required to defend ourselves in legal proceedings in a claim related to your information.
Qualifications & exceptions
Litigation preservation is at Meta's judgment of necessity.