Unless you have a lot of spare time on your hands and enjoy reading privacy policies and terms of use, there are probably many things about Facebook that you aren’t aware of. Here are ten things you probably didn’t know about the agreement between you (the user) and Facebook.

Deleted photos never actually go away

Even after a photo is removed from the Facebook interface, if someone has the direct link to it, they can still access it on the Facebook server. Facebook claims they are working on purging the photos, but it has been nearly three years since the issue came to light and it appears that not much has changed.

Everything you share on or post to Facebook remains on a server for an extended period of time

Facebook’s policy states, “When you delete IP content, it is deleted in a manner similar to emptying the recycle bin on a computer. However, you understand that removed content may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time (but will not be available to others).” Even a deleted account will exist at Facebook for at least 90 days.

By posting content on Facebook, you give them permission to do anything they want to with that content forever

Facebook’s terms of use clearly state:

For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos (IP content), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it.

Keep in mind that this is the very content that remains on Facebook’s servers even after you’ve “deleted” it.

You can download everything you’ve ever shared on Facebook

By using Facebook’s well-hidden archive tool, you can download any information you’ve put on Facebook, including photos, videos, Wall posts, messages, chat conversations and friends’ names and email addresses. You cannot download friends’ posts or comments you’ve made on other people’s posts. But, anything you have set to private will still appear in the archive.

Facebook can share information they have gathered about you if they merely remove your name or any other personally identifying information from it

According to Facebook’s posted policy on how they use the information they gather about you, they share your information under one of three circumstances: if you give permission, if they’ve given you notice, such as in a policy, or if they have “removed your name or any other personally identifying information from it.”

You are only allowed to create one personal profile on Facebook

In Facebook’s Statements of Rights and Responsibilities, the rules both you, as the user, and Facebook agree to adhere to, you agree that, “you will not create more than one personal profile.”

If you tag someone in a post, that person and their friends can see the post

Based on how information is shared on Facebook, unless it’s a post or comment in a private group that others can’t see, when you tag someone in a post, you are making it visible to all of their friends as well as whatever audience you selected for the post.

You have to tell Facebook you don’t want to appear in social ads

Facebook attaches social content to ads by linking them with posts that pertain to the advertiser. So, if you check in at or “like” Joe’s Pizza, when a Joe’s Pizza ad shows up in your friends’ sidebar, they see “Mike likes Joe’s Pizza.” If you don’t want your name to pop up in relevant Facebook ads, you have to change the setting in your Social Ads settings.

If your account is disabled by Facebook you have to get their permission to create another one

According to Facebook’s terms of use, “If we disable your account, you will not create another one without our permission.”

Convicted sex offenders are not allowed to have a Facebook account

The Facebook Statements of Rights and Responsibilities state, “You will not use Facebook if you are a convicted sex offender.” So at least they’re doing something to look out for your safety.

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