The documents offer some meaningful protections and controls, including no sale of directly identifying data to advertisers, portability/deletion tools, and consumer court access in the user’s home country. But these are outweighed by broad data collection, cross-platform tracking and ad personalization, sharing with partners and Meta companies, public-content exposure, and lengthy/conditional deletion timelines.
Instagram is part of Meta’s broader ecosystem and has a data-intensive legal posture. Meta collects extensive activity, device, location and partner data, uses it for personalization and ads on and off Meta products, and shares data across Meta companies and with integrated partners. Positively, it says it does not sell directly identifying personal information to advertisers, offers user controls including download/port/delete tools, gives advance notice for major terms changes, and lets consumers sue in their home-country courts.
Points of interest
Meta collects a very broad range of information, including your activity, device identifiers, contacts, location signals, partner data and even some data about non-users. In practice, using Instagram feeds a large cross-service profile.
"We collect and receive information from partners... whether or not you're logged in or have an account on our Products."
Your information can be used for personalized ads both on Meta products and on other apps and websites, including data from third-party business tools. This means your activity beyond Instagram may affect the ads you see.
"Meta personalises your ads on and across Meta Company Products. You also see ads shown through Meta Audience Network"
If your Instagram account or content is public, it can be seen by anyone, including people without accounts, and may appear off-platform such as in search results. Public content can also be reshared or downloaded by third parties.
"With a public account, your posts and other content on Instagram can be seen by anyone, on or off our Products"
Apps and sites connected through login or integrations can access your information, and previously shared data may remain with them even after access expires. Their handling is governed by their own policies, not Meta’s.
"even if an app's access to your information has expired, it can still retain information that you shared with it previously"
Your information may be shared across Meta companies for safety, analytics, product development and connected experiences. This expands use of your data beyond Instagram alone.
"We share the information that we collect, infrastructure, systems and technology with the other Meta Companies."
Meta says it does not sell your personal information to advertisers and does not share directly identifying details like your name or email unless you specifically permit it. This is a meaningful limit, though profiling still occurs.
"We don't sell your personal information and we don't share information that directly identifies you"
Users are offered tools to view, manage, download, port and delete their information. This gives practical control and helps with account exit or switching services.
"We offer you a variety of tools to view, manage, download and delete your information"
Deleting content or an account is not immediate: deletion may take up to 90 days, plus up to another 90 days for backups, and some data can be kept longer. Users should not expect instant erasure.
"it may take up to 90 days to delete your information... up to another 90 days to remove it from backups"
You keep ownership of what you post, but Meta gets a license to use your content for providing and improving its services until deletion is fully completed. This is standard for social media but still significant.
"we need you to give us some legal permissions (known as a 'Licence') to use this content"
Consumer disputes can be brought in a competent court in your country of main residence under that country’s law. This is better for users than mandatory arbitration or a foreign-only forum.
"you may resolve your individual claim or dispute... in any competent court in the country of your main residence"
Meta says it will usually give at least 30 days’ notice before material terms changes take effect, giving users time to review and leave if they disagree. That is more transparent than immediate unilateral changes.
"We will notify you... at least 30 days before we make changes to these Terms"
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Documents
Terms of Use
source ↗- •These terms govern use of Meta products like Facebook and Messenger; Instagram use is governed by separate Instagram Terms of Use.
- •You must be eligible to use the services, follow Meta’s policies, and not help or engage in harmful, illegal, or abusive conduct.
- •Meta may personalize content and ads using your activity and information; you can use the products free with ads or subscribe without ads.
- •Meta does not sell your personal information to advertisers and does not share directly identifying information unless you give specific permission.
- •You keep ownership of content you post, but you grant Meta a license to use it to provide and improve the services.
- •Meta may remove content, restrict features, suspend, disable, or delete accounts for serious, repeated, or unremedied violations, or for legal reasons.
- •If your account is deleted or terminated, some terms survive, and deletion of content may take up to 90 days plus backup removal time.
- •Meta limits liability for losses not caused by its breach, not reasonably foreseeable, or beyond its reasonable control, while preserving mandatory legal rights.
- •Consumer disputes go to court in your home country under that country’s law; business or other non-consumer disputes go to court in Ireland under Irish law.
Privacy Policy
source ↗- •Meta collects information you provide, your activity, device data, contacts, location, cookies, and data from partners and public sources.
- •Some information is optional, but missing required details can prevent account creation or reduce product features and personalization.
- •Meta uses information to provide, personalize, improve, and secure its products, communicate with you, run analytics, and support research.
- •Meta uses data for personalized ads on and off its products, including across devices and accounts, unless you change ad settings.
- •Public content on Instagram can be seen by anyone, including people without accounts, and may be shared or indexed by search engines.
- •People you message or share with can see your messages, selected audience posts, activity status, and other shared content.
- •Integrated partners and apps connected through login or plugins may receive information, and they are governed by their own policies.
- •Meta shares information across Meta companies for safety, product development, analytics, and combined account experiences.
- •You can view, download, port, manage, or delete information, and account deletion may take up to 90 days plus backup removal time.
- •Meta may keep or preserve information longer for legal requests, compliance, safety, fraud prevention, or litigation, and may transfer data internationally with safeguards.
