BeReal keeps your data for as long as needed to run the service and meet legal requirements, and will delete or anonymise it when you close your account, unless a law requires them to keep it longer.
This analysis describes what BeReal's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
The absence of specific retention timelines for categories of data such as dual-camera imagery and location data makes it difficult for users to know exactly how long their most sensitive information is held.
Interpretive note: Specific retention periods for individual data categories such as dual-camera imagery and location data are not enumerated in the available policy text, limiting precision in assessing the storage limitation compliance posture.
This provision means BeReal does not commit to specific maximum retention periods for your photos or location data during active account use, and the broad 'as long as necessary' standard gives the company significant discretion over retention duration.
How other platforms handle this
We retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. The criteria used to determine our retention periods include: the length of ...
We may retain de-identified or aggregated information that can no longer be used to identify you for any period of time, including indefinitely.
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, or as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law.
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"We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to provide our services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data, except where we are required to retain it by law.— Excerpt from BeReal's BeReal Privacy Policy
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: GDPR's storage limitation principle (Article 5(1)(e)) requires that personal data be kept in a form that permits identification for no longer than necessary for the processing purposes. The use of 'as long as necessary' without specific timelines is a commonly scrutinised formulation under GDPR; the CNIL and other supervisory authorities have issued guidance requiring concrete retention periods for major data categories. CCPA does not impose specific retention limits but requires disclosure of the retention period or the criteria used to determine it. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The policy's reliance on 'as long as necessary' without category-specific timelines is below the specificity level recommended by GDPR supervisory authorities. This creates regulatory exposure particularly for sensitive data categories such as facial imagery and location history, where proportionality of retention is subject to closer scrutiny. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU/EEA users are most exposed given GDPR's storage limitation principle; French CNIL guidance is particularly relevant given BeReal's operational base. California users are entitled to disclosure of retention periods or criteria under CPRA. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Sub-processor agreements should include data deletion obligations aligned with BeReal's retention policy, including deletion of imagery and location data from third-party storage systems within a specified period following account deletion requests. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal and compliance teams should develop and document a retention schedule specifying maximum retention periods for each category of personal data collected (dual-camera images, location data, device identifiers, usage logs), and update the privacy policy to reflect those periods. This is a standard GDPR compliance requirement that reduces regulatory risk and improves user transparency.
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The absence of specific retention timelines for categories of data such as dual-camera imagery and location data makes it difficult for users to know exactly how long their most sensitive information is held.
This provision means BeReal does not commit to specific maximum retention periods for your photos or location data during active account use, and the broad 'as long as necessary' standard gives the company significant discretion over retention duration.
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