When you delete your account, we delete things you have posted, such as your photos and status updates, and you won't be able to recover that information later. Information that others have shared about you isn't part of your account and won't be deleted. We keep data for longer when necessary for legal obligations, to prevent harm, investigate potential violations of our terms or policies, for safety and security purposes, or to protect ourselves in legal disputes.
The retention period following account deletion is not specifically defined, and the broadly worded exceptions — including 'protect ourselves in legal disputes' — could permit Meta to retain your personal data indefinitely.
Meta's policy authorizes collection of an exceptionally broad range of personal data — including location, biometric features, financial information, browsing history across third-party sites, and sensitive inferences about health and political views — primarily to serve targeted advertising. Non-users who have never created a Meta account are also subject to data collection when they visit sites using Meta's tracking tools such as the Meta Pixel. You can review and limit off-platform tracking by visiting Facebook Settings > Your Facebook Information > Off-Facebook Activity and clearing or restricting that data.