WHAT THE POLICIES SAY

Meta Platforms, Inc. — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp — discloses broad collection and cross-product sharing of user data in its Privacy Policy and operates widely-deployed tracking tools such as the Meta Pixel and Business Tools that are embedded on third-party websites and apps. The company's public record includes a 2019 FTC $5 billion consent-order penalty, a 2023 Irish Data Protection Commission €1.2 billion GDPR fine over EU-U.S. data transfers, a 2021 large-scale exposure of scraped user data affecting roughly 533 million accounts, and ongoing FTC scrutiny and third-party litigation (including the Meta Pixel Healthcare Litigation) over data-sharing practices. Meta's corporate structure and product ownership are disclosed in its SEC filings, including a formal list of subsidiaries.

TRACK RECORD

1 ENFORCEMENT ACTION

[2019-07-24]

In July 2019, the FTC announced that Facebook, Inc. would pay a record-breaking $5 billion penalty and submit to new restrictions to settle charges that it violated a 2012 FTC order concerning user privacy controls.

ftc.gov ↗

TIMELINE

1 ENTRY

[2026-08-26] · ENFORCEMENT ACTION

Meta signs multistate consent judgment resolving state AG claims over youth use of its platforms

On August 26, 2026, a fully executed consent judgment and settlement agreement between Meta and state attorneys general was filed in the social media multidistrict litigation. The agreement, published by the California Attorney General, sets requirements for Meta's handling of young users, including age assurance and data minimization and security commitments. This entry links the executed agreement itself; the terms described are those stated in that document.

oag.ca.gov ↗

ULTIMATE PARENT

OFFICIALS ON FILE

9 ON FILE

Receipted federal filings: FEC campaign-finance records and LDA lobbying disclosures. A tie is a disclosed transaction or filing, not a claim of influence or wrongdoing.

META PLATFORMS INC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on CIV-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, per LDA Form LD-2.

lda.gov ↗

META PLATFORMS INC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on CIV-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, per LDA Form LD-2.

lda.gov ↗

META PLATFORMS INC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on CIV-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, per LDA Form LD-2.

lda.gov ↗

META PLATFORMS INC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on CIV-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, per LDA Form LD-2.

lda.gov ↗

META PLATFORMS INC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on CIV-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, per LDA Form LD-2.

lda.gov ↗

META PLATFORMS INC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on CIV-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, per LDA Form LD-2.

lda.gov ↗

META PLATFORMS INC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on CIV-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, per LDA Form LD-2.

lda.gov ↗

META PLATFORMS INC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on CIV-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, per LDA Form LD-2.

lda.gov ↗

META PLATFORMS INC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on CIV-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, per LDA Form LD-2.

lda.gov ↗

TOOLS WE RECOMMEND

PLUS

RECEIPTS

12 ON FILE

COLLECTION

Meta's United States Regional Privacy Notice discloses that the company processes personal information about individuals in connection with Meta products regardless of whether they have an account or are logged in.

meta.com ↗

[2025-12-16] · COLLECTION

Meta's Privacy Policy discloses that its systems automatically process information collected and stored about a user and others to assess interests and provide personalized experiences across Meta Products.

facebook.com ↗

OWNERSHIP TRANSPARENCY

Meta Platforms, Inc.'s SEC Form 10-K Exhibit 21.1 publicly lists corporate subsidiaries, including Facebook Payments Inc., Facebook Holdings, LLC, Facebook Operations, LLC, Facebook Technologies, LLC, Novi Financial, Inc., and others.

sec.gov ↗

OWNERSHIP TRANSPARENCY

Meta Platforms, Inc.'s SEC Form 10-K discloses that its "Family of Apps" products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Meta AI, Threads, and WhatsApp, all operated under the parent company Meta Platforms, Inc.

sec.gov ↗

SHARING

Meta's United States Regional Privacy Notice states that Meta does not "share" personal information as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act and does not sell personal information.

meta.com ↗

[2025-07-22] · SHARING

A 2025 class-action settlement resolved allegations that Eisenhower Medical Center used the Meta Pixel and other tracking technology to disclose patients' personal and protected health information to Meta and Google without consent.

classaction.org ↗

[2025-12-16] · SHARING

Meta's Privacy Policy discloses that it shares information it collects, along with infrastructure, systems and technology, with the other Meta Companies.

facebook.com ↗

[2019-07-24] · TRACK RECORD

ftc.gov ↗

[2021-04-07] · TRACK RECORD

In April 2021, personal data belonging to roughly 533 million Facebook users across 106 countries was found circulating online; Facebook attributed the exposure to a scraping vulnerability that had been patched in 2019.

techradar.com ↗

[2023-05-03] · TRACK RECORD

In 2023, the FTC opened a proceeding accusing Meta of repeatedly violating prior privacy promises made to regulators, proposing possible new restrictions including a ban on launching new products without independent review.

bloomberg.com ↗

[2025-07-16] · TRACKING TECH

Coverage of hospital website tracking litigation describes that tools including the Meta Pixel embedded on healthcare websites collect visitor information and transmit it to the providers of those tools, including Meta.

hipaajournal.com ↗

[2026-04-27] · TRACKING TECH

A privacy-policy guide describes that when a business integrates Meta's Business Tools — such as the Facebook Pixel, SDK, or Conversions API — it is "actively sending data about your website or app visitors to Meta," indicating this tracking technology's embedding in third-party sites and apps.

usercentrics.com ↗

LAST REVIEWED 2026-07-27 · METHODOLOGY v1.7