Threads vs Facebook

Threads is free, but Meta uses your personal data to choose personalized ads and sponsored content. That means your activity on the service is used to shape the ads you see.

Meta collects a wide range of data, including what you provide, your activity, device/app data, cookies, location if enabled, purchases, and AI interactions. This creates a detailed profile beyond basic account details.

Meta shares information across its companies to run connected experiences, promote safety, and comply with law. Your data may therefore be combined across Meta products rather than kept separate to Threads.

Deleting an account or content can take up to 90 days, and backups can take another 90 days to clear. Meta also says some data may be preserved longer for legal or safety reasons.

You keep ownership of your posts, but you grant Meta a license to use content you create and share to provide and improve the services. That license lasts until the content is fully deleted.

Public content may be visible on and off Meta, appear in search results, and be reshared or downloaded through third-party services. Once something is public, you should expect much less control over where it appears.

Meta may revise the Terms with at least 30 days’ notice, and continued use means you accept the changes. Your practical option if you disagree is to stop using the service and delete your account.

Meta may suspend, permanently disable, or delete accounts for serious or repeated policy breaches, and in some cases for inactivity or legal reasons. Users can request review in some situations, but not always.

If you are a consumer, Meta says your local country’s laws apply and you may sue in a competent court in your country. That is better than forcing all users into California courts.

Meta says you can manage, port in some cases, and delete your information through settings and help centers. This gives users at least some direct control over account data.

Meta says it does not sell your personal data to advertisers and does not share directly identifying information with them unless you give permission. That limits one common form of monetization.

Meta collects information you provide, your activity, devices, contacts, and data from partners and third parties. In practice, this means Facebook can build a very detailed profile even from activity outside the app.

The policy says Meta receives information through cookies, pixels, and similar technologies from other websites and apps. This can connect your off-Facebook browsing and app activity back to your account or ad profile.

Some information is public by default, and public content can be viewed, reshared, downloaded, and even appear off Meta. Users should assume public posts may travel far beyond Facebook.

By posting content, you grant Meta a worldwide, sublicensable license to use, modify, distribute, and create derivatives. That gives Meta wide operational freedom to reuse what you upload while it remains on its systems.

Account or content deletion can take up to 90 days, plus another 90 days to remove copies from backups and disaster recovery systems. Some content can also be retained longer for legal, safety, or technical reasons.

Meta states it does not sell your personal data to advertisers and does not share directly identifying information without permission. That is better than a true data-selling model, though it still uses your data for ad targeting.

You can delete individual content, delete your account, and trash items begin a deletion process automatically after 30 days. The policy also says deleted items are removed from visibility while deletion is pending.

Facebook uses your personal data to show personalized ads and sponsored content, including across Meta products and sometimes off-platform. Even though Meta says it does not sell your personal data, your activity is still used for targeted advertising.

Meta can remove content, restrict features, suspend, disable, or delete accounts for serious or repeated violations, often in its discretion. Some review explanations may be withheld for safety, legal, or technical reasons.

Meta says you can download your information and, in some cases and subject to law, port it. This gives users at least some ability to take their data elsewhere.

For consumers, disputes are governed by the law of your country and may be brought in competent local courts. That is more user-friendly than forcing all users into a distant arbitration forum.

Meta says it will notify users at least 30 days before material Terms changes, unless the change is required by law. That gives users a chance to review updates before they take effect.