Meta · Meta Terms of Service · View original document ↗

Advertising and Commercial Content

High severity High confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Unique · 0 of 325 platforms
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Recent governance activity Meta recorded 5 documented changes in the last 30 days.
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Document Record

What it is

Meta's services are provided without a monetary fee, and in exchange Meta uses your personal data, including information about your activity and interests, to show you targeted advertisements from paying businesses.

This analysis describes what Meta'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

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The terms explicitly state that personalized advertising based on activity and interest data is the commercial basis for free access to Meta's services, and that users consent to this use by agreeing to the terms.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

High Apr 21, 2026

The updated terms establish a jurisdictional change for consumers. Previously, all disputes had to be resolved in California courts; now, if you are a consumer or if your country requires it, dispute…

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

By accepting these terms, users agree that Meta may use their personal data, including activity and interest information, to display targeted advertisements. EU/EEA users have additional rights to object to or limit certain forms of data processing for advertising under GDPR, which may be exercised through Meta's privacy settings.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Opt Out of Arbitration
    Go to Facebook Settings, select 'Ad Preferences', and review or adjust your ad interest categories, data sources used for ads, and ad settings to limit personalized advertising where available in your region.

How other platforms handle this

TikTok Medium

Learn more about our rules, how we enforce them, and how they apply across different areas.

TikTok Ads Medium

To use User Content as part of our advertising and marketing campaigns to promote the Platform, to invite you to participate in an event, and to promote popular topics, hashtags and campaigns on the Platform.

AWS Bedrock Medium

AWS processes Customer Content you submit to Amazon Bedrock in accordance with the AWS Customer Agreement and applicable data protection terms. AWS does not use Customer Content processed by Amazon Bedrock to train Amazon's foundation models without your consent.

See all platforms with this clause type →

Monitoring

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Instead of paying to use Facebook and the other products and services we offer, by using the Meta Products covered by these Terms, you agree that we can show you ads that businesses and organizations pay us to promote on and off our company products. We use your personal data, such as information about your activity and interests, to show you ads that are more relevant to you.

— Excerpt from Meta's Meta Terms of Service

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages GDPR Articles 6 and 21 for EU/EEA users, particularly regarding the lawful basis for processing personal data for advertising purposes and users' rights to object. Following regulatory scrutiny and enforcement actions by EU data protection authorities, Meta has shifted to consent-based advertising for EU/EEA users in some contexts. The CCPA and CPRA engage this provision for California residents, who have rights to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. The FTC Act is also engaged regarding the adequacy of disclosure of the data-for-services exchange. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. The use of personal data for targeted advertising is the subject of ongoing regulatory scrutiny and enforcement in the EU, UK, and U.S. The adequacy of consent mechanisms and the scope of data processed for advertising purposes are active areas of regulatory inquiry. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU/EEA users have the right to withdraw consent for personalized advertising and to object to processing for direct marketing under GDPR. California residents have CPRA opt-out rights for sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. UK users retain similar GDPR-derived rights. Regulatory requirements in these jurisdictions may constrain how broadly this provision operates in practice. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Businesses advertising on Meta platforms should assess whether their ad targeting instructions involve processing of personal data categories that require additional legal basis or disclosure under applicable law, and whether their use of Meta's advertising tools requires a Data Processing Agreement. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should audit whether their organizations' use of Meta's advertising and analytics tools is reflected in their privacy notices and data processing records, and whether employee or customer personal data is inadvertently shared with Meta through pixel or API integrations.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has authority over data-based advertising practices and the adequacy of consumer disclosure regarding the use of personal data for targeted advertising.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

EU AI Act
European Union
BIPA
Illinois, USA
CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
COPPA
United States Federal
Colorado AI Act
US-CO
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
ePrivacy Directive
European Union
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
TCPA
United States Federal
UK GDPR
United Kingdom

Provision details

Document information
Document
Meta Terms of Service
Entity
Meta
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 12, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-011421
Document ID
CA-D-00020
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
421cfeb86760eee0966254c1f4c8ecf83f92b03956f70a374bd41125c57a05ec
Analysis generated
May 12, 2026 09:56 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Meta
Document: Meta Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-P-011421
Captured: 2026-05-12 09:56:31 UTC
SHA-256: 421cfeb86760eee0…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/meta/meta-terms-of-service/advertising-and-commercial-content/
Accessed: May 13, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Meta's Advertising and Commercial Content clause do?

The terms explicitly state that personalized advertising based on activity and interest data is the commercial basis for free access to Meta's services, and that users consent to this use by agreeing to the terms.

How does this clause affect you?

By accepting these terms, users agree that Meta may use their personal data, including activity and interest information, to display targeted advertisements. EU/EEA users have additional rights to object to or limit certain forms of data processing for advertising under GDPR, which may be exercised through Meta's privacy settings.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Meta?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta.