Meta · Meta Terms of Service

Behavioral Advertising and Data Use License

High severity
Share 𝕏 Share in Share

What it is

We don't sell your personal data to advertisers, and we don't share information that directly identifies you (such as your name, email address or other contact information) with advertisers without your specific consent. Instead, advertisers can tell us things like the kind of audience they want to see their ads, and we show those ads to people who may be interested. We provide advertisers with reports about the performance of their ads that help them understand how people are interacting with their content.

Why it matters

Meta's advertising model is built on extensive behavioral profiling — your posts, likes, location, browsing behavior, and off-Facebook activity all feed into ad targeting systems, representing one of the most extensive commercial surveillance ecosystems in existence.

Consumer impact

Meta's Terms of Service grant the company an extremely broad license to use everything you post — photos, videos, text — for commercial purposes including advertising, and this license persists even if you delete content that others have already reshared. Meta retains the right to suspend or remove your account, restrict content visibility, and modify these terms with as little as 30 days' notice, meaning the rules governing your account can change materially over time. You can review and adjust your advertising data preferences by navigating to Facebook Settings > Ads, and EU/UK users can exercise additional rights including data access, deletion, and objection to processing via the Facebook Privacy Center.

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 > Ads > Ad Settings to review and restrict how Meta uses your data for ad targeting, including turning off interest-based targeting and data from partners.

Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has enforcement authority over Meta's advertising data practices under FTC Act Section 5 and Meta's existing 2019 consent order, which directly addresses advertising data disclosures and children's data use.
    File a complaint →
  • State AG
    California's Privacy Protection Agency and other State AGs have enforcement authority over CCPA opt-out rights for data sharing used in behavioral advertising.
    File a complaint →

Provision details

Document information
Document
Meta Terms of Service
Entity
Meta
Document last updated
March 24, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 6, 2026
Last verified
April 4, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-001930
Document ID
CA-D-00020
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
SHA-256
8a855e4c147f2c90abe6867d9f920a94ad0e0ebee43fb73d9f0d62acffd1e90c
Verified
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Change verified
How to Cite
ConductAtlas Policy Archive
Entity: Meta | Document: Meta Terms of Service | Record: CA-P-001930
Captured: 2026-03-06 20:29:13 UTC | SHA-256: 8a855e4c147f2c90…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/meta/meta-terms-of-service/behavioral-advertising-and-data-use-license/
Accessed: April 4, 2026
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

Other provisions in this document