Meta automated data collection: a dated comparison of Facebook terms

What the recorded versions show

Version 3 was captured on 10 July 2026 and version 4 on 28 July 2026, both in UTC. The recorded passage in version 3 refers to prior permission for automated access or collection. Version 4 adds an explicit reference to the separately named Automated Data Collection Terms in the corresponding passage. This is an observation about these two stored texts.

A further capture on 23 September 2026 produced version 5 with the same SHA-256 as versions 1 and 3. That return to an earlier captured text is a reason to investigate delivery, locale and extraction differences before interpreting a change in Meta’s position. It does not establish that a legal change was introduced or reversed.

Which document answers the search query?

The evidence record is for Facebook Terms of Service, with the recorded jurisdiction marked Global. A reference inside those terms does not mean PolicyWatcher has independently captured every version of the separate Automated Data Collection Terms. Use the official document and its linked terms to establish the applicable scope.

Searching for a distinctive phrase can surface a dated revision ahead of a provider’s current document. Start with the current provider source for current wording, then use the archive to investigate what PolicyWatcher observed. A retrieval date is not a publication or effective date.

How to reproduce this comparison

Open the policy record and identify versions 3, 4 and 5 by their dates and hashes. Open the linked July revision and its evidence packet. Locate the automated-access passage in the before/after material, then read nearby definitions and exceptions. Retain the version identifiers with any citation.

The revision remains an automatically classified record; this article does not upgrade it to a human-verified substantive change. A permission requirement appearing in a captured passage is not advice about the legality of a particular collection activity.

Case sources and records

• Facebook Terms of Service - official source
• Policy record, dates and baseline hashes
• July revision: V3 to V4
• Evidence packet for the July revision

Before you share a finding

• Identify Facebook terms separately from collection-specific terms.
• Cite V3 and V4 as dated observations.
• Include the V5 return to the earlier hash.
• Keep the verification status attached to any interpretation.

Relevant public policies

These links include only records that pass the publication gate. They do not represent complete market coverage or a recommendation of the providers.

• Meta - Terms of Service (Global)