These are the provisions that have caused real harm to Meta users. Each represents a significant risk you should understand before relying on the platform.
You grant Meta a worldwide, royalty-free license to use, copy, modify, distribute, and create derivative works from your content. This license can be sublicensed to third parties including advertisers and partners.
"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."
Meta Terms of Service, Section 3.3
A violation on one Meta platform can result in bans across all platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads. One mistake can eliminate your entire digital social presence.
"If we determine that you have clearly, seriously or repeatedly breached our Terms or Policies...we may suspend or permanently disable your access to Meta Company Products."
Meta Terms of Service, Section 4.2
Meta explicitly reserves the right to use your content to train AI models. Your photos, posts, and comments may be used to improve Meta AI, Llama models, and other machine learning systems.
"We may use information we collect...to develop, train, and improve our artificial intelligence technologies and models."
Meta Privacy Policy, Data Use Section
While the Oversight Board exists for select cases, most account actions have limited appeal options. Decisions are often made by AI with minimal human review, and outcomes are rarely explained in detail.
"You can learn more about what happens if we disable your account and how to contact me if you think we disabled your account by mistake."
Meta Terms of Service, Section 4.2
Meta tracks your activity across the entire internet through the Meta Pixel, embedded buttons, and partner data sharing. This creates comprehensive behavioral profiles even when you're not using Meta apps.
"We collect information about the websites and apps you visit, your use of our services on those websites and apps, as well as information the developer or publisher of the app or website provides to you or us."
Meta Privacy Policy, Information Collection
Even if you delete your content or account, Meta's license continues for content that has been shared with others or used in their systems. Your viral post may live forever in Meta's infrastructure.
"This license will end when your content is deleted from our systems. However, content you delete may continue to appear if you have shared it with others and they have not deleted it."
Meta Terms of Service, Section 3.3
Meta can reduce the visibility of your content without notice. "Shadowbanning" isn't explicitly acknowledged in terms, but the platform reserves broad rights to control distribution.
"We can also remove or restrict access to content, services or information if we determine that doing so is reasonably necessary to avoid or mitigate adverse legal or regulatory impacts to us."
Meta Terms of Service, Section 3.2
While Meta discontinued automatic facial recognition in 2021, the terms still allow biometric data collection. Face data from photos may still be processed for various features and advertising.
"We collect information about the people, accounts, hashtags and Pages you are connected to and how you interact with them across our Products, such as people you communicate with the most."
Meta Privacy Policy, Connection Data
Facebook requires your "authentic name" and can demand ID verification at any time. Activists, domestic violence survivors, and others with legitimate privacy needs face account suspension.
"People use their authentic names and identities on Facebook...You'll provide your real name and accurate information about yourself."
Facebook Terms of Service, Who Can Use Facebook
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