When you post a photo, video, or other content on Facebook, you give Meta the legal right to store, copy, share, translate, modify, and create new works from that content, anywhere in the world, without paying you.
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
This provision establishes Meta's operational rights to process and utilize user-generated content across its service ecosystem. The broad scope of authorized uses—including modification, derivative creation, and distribution—enables Meta to incorporate user content into product features, advertising systems, and service infrastructure without per-use compensation or individual permission requests.
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, disputes must be resolved in courts within your home country under your home country's laws. For Meta's own claims against you, the agreement still requires disputes to proceed exclusively in California courts. The revised terms also now require Meta to notify you at least 30 days in advance before making changes to these Terms, and you will have the opportunity to review them before they take effect, unless changes are required by law.
View change record →Any photo, video, or post you upload to Facebook or Messenger is subject to this license, which allows Meta to use, modify, and sublicense it for as long as it remains on the platform or accessible to others who have not deleted it.
How other platforms handle this
By making any User Content available to Calm, you hereby grant to Calm a non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, worldwide, royalty-free, license to use, store, publish, translate, reproduce, adapt, copy, modify, create derivative works based upon, publicly display, publicly perform, and distrib...
By making creations available on Patreon or otherwise posting on Patreon, you grant us a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, sublicensable, worldwide license covering your creation or what you post in all formats and channels now known or later developed anywhere in the world to use...
By making available any Content through the Service, you grant to Pinterest a non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, copy, modify, create derivative works based upon, distribute, publicly display, publicly perform and distribute your Content in connection...
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"When you share, post, or upload content that is covered by intellectual property rights on or in connection with our Products, you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, and worldwide license to host, use, distribute, modify, run, copy, publicly perform or display, translate, and create derivative works of your content (consistent with your privacy and application settings). This means, for example, that if you share a photo on Facebook, you give us permission to store, copy, and share it with others (again, consistent with your settings) such as Meta Products or service providers that support those products and services.— Excerpt from Meta's Meta Terms of Service
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages GDPR Article 6 (lawful basis for processing) and Article 22 for EU users, as the commercial use of personal data embedded in user content for advertising requires a valid legal basis beyond contractual necessity. The FTC Act's prohibition on unfair or deceptive practices is relevant where the scope of this license may not be sufficiently disclosed at point of consent. EU Directive 2019/770 on digital content contracts may also apply to the exchange of content rights for platform access. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. The sublicensable, derivative-works scope of this license creates significant exposure for EU compliance teams, as GDPR requires granular consent or legitimate interest justification for each downstream processing purpose, and a blanket contractual license may not satisfy those requirements for all use cases. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU and EEA users have heightened exposure due to GDPR's strict lawful basis requirements. California residents may have additional rights under CPRA regarding use of personal information embedded in content. UK users are subject to the UK GDPR, which imposes similar constraints. The license's global scope means it asserts rights in jurisdictions where data protection law may not recognize contractual waivers of certain personal data rights. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Enterprise clients using Facebook Pages or Meta Business Suite should note that content uploaded in a business context is subject to this same license. B2B contracts with Meta's advertising products should be reviewed to assess whether corporate content, including proprietary imagery, falls within the scope of this clause. Sublicensing rights may affect intellectual property ownership assessments in vendor due diligence. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should audit whether existing consent mechanisms at point of account creation adequately disclose the sublicensable and derivative-works scope of this license. Data mapping exercises should document the flow of user content to Meta service providers under the sublicense right. Organizations subject to GDPR should assess whether a legitimate interest assessment is required for advertising use of content containing personal data.
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This provision establishes Meta's operational rights to process and utilize user-generated content across its service ecosystem. The broad scope of authorized uses—including modification, derivative creation, and distribution—enables Meta to incorporate user content into product features, advertising systems, and service infrastructure without per-use compensation or individual permission requests.
Any photo, video, or post you upload to Facebook or Messenger is subject to this license, which allows Meta to use, modify, and sublicense it for as long as it remains on the platform or accessible to others who have not deleted it.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 3 platforms. See the full comparison.
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