This is a common concern for many Facebook users. With billions of photos stored on Facebook’s servers, users often worry about what would happen to their photos if their account was deleted or hacked. The good news is that in most cases, Facebook will not immediately delete your photos if you close your account. However, there are some important things to keep in mind about Facebook’s policies regarding photos.
What happens when you delete your Facebook account?
When you delete your Facebook account, your photos and videos will not be immediately deleted. According to Facebook’s Data Policy, it can take up to 90 days for Facebook to delete all of the data associated with your account after it is closed. During this time, your photos still exist on Facebook’s servers, but are disconnected from your account profile and your identity. You cannot access or view the photos yourself during this period.
After the 90 day period, Facebook says it will permanently delete all data from its servers, including your photos, posts, profile information, etc. However, some experts argue that deleted data can still exist in Facebook’s backups and archives even after the account is erased. So there is a possibility that copies of your old photos could remain in Facebook’s systems indefinitely.
What happens if you deactivate your account?
Deactivating your Facebook account is different than permanently deleting it. When you deactivate your account, it is temporarily disabled but all of your information and photos remain stored on Facebook’s servers. You can reactive your account at any time and restore all of your old data, including photos.
Facebook says deactivated accounts can remain in this dormant state indefinitely. So your photos should be preserved if you later decide to reactivate your profile. However, if an account remains deactivated for an extended time, Facebook reserves the right to eventually delete that account and its data from their systems.
Could my photos get deleted if my account is hacked?
Having your Facebook account hacked can be scary, especially since so many personal photos are often stored there. Fortunately, a hacker gaining access to your profile should not result in your photos being deleted.
In most hacking instances, the intruder is interested in accessing or extracting private data from the account, not destroying it. Your photos and profile information have more value to them intact. Of course, the hacker could delete content or make unauthorized changes while in control of the account. But Facebook has processes to help recover compromised accounts and restore original data like photos.
When does Facebook delete photos from its servers?
In general, Facebook only permanently deletes user photos and data in the following instances:
- When an account is deleted – After the 90 day deactivation period expires
- When required by law – Such as a court order to remove illegal content
- When a user specifically deletes photos and data – Using Facebook’s deletion tools
Facebook’s data retention policies are designed to preserve user data, including photos. This allows accounts and information to be recovered if needed. However, Facebook may remove photos without the user’s consent in cases of legal obligations or contractual violations.
Can I download my photos before deleting my account?
Yes, users have the option to download an archive of their Facebook photos and other account data before deleting their profile. Here are the steps to download a copy of your Facebook photos:
- Go to your Facebook Settings
- Click on “Your Facebook Information” in the left menu
- Click on “Download Your Information”
- Select the data types you want to download, such as photos
- Click the blue button to “Create File”
- Facebook will assemble the archive and email you when it’s ready to download
Saving an archive of your photos to your personal computer or external hard drive means you’ll have copies if your account is deleted. You can also download your Facebook photos individually or in albums using the Download tool.
Could Facebook ever shut down completely?
It’s highly unlikely that Facebook would shut down its services and delete user data altogether without advance warning. As one of the biggest technology companies and most popular social media platforms in the world, Facebook takes data preservation and account recovery very seriously.
If Facebook was for some reason going to cease operations, they would almost certainly provide ways for users to download their photos and information well in advance. There is too much user data with irreplaceable value to simply discard it all. Platforms that have shut down, like MySpace, gave users time and tools to migrate their data.
Does Facebook claim ownership of my uploaded photos?
When you upload photos to Facebook, you grant the company certain licensing rights to distribute and display those photos on their platform. However, you still retain the original copyrights and ownership of the photo content itself.
Facebook’s Terms of Service state:
You own the content you create and share on Facebook and the other Facebook Products you use, and nothing in these Terms takes away the rights you have to your own content.
You are granting Facebook permission to use your photos in connection with the service, but not relinquishing the underlying rights and ownership of the photos. You can download the photos from Facebook at any time since you are the copyright holder.
Should I be concerned about public access to my photos?
If privacy settings are not managed properly, photos posted on Facebook can sometimes end up being more publicly accessible than users realize. Here are some tips to keep your Facebook photos private and restricted:
- Double check your privacy settings for who can see posts
- Be cautious about tagging people in photos
- Disable public access to photo albums
- Don’t share sensitive photos on Facebook
- Remove the location and metadata from photos
Also be aware that any photos shared with Friends of Friends or Public access can potentially be copied, downloaded or reshared by anyone. So only share more personal photos with close friends and family if you want to limit exposure.
Should I delete my Facebook account and all my photos?
Here are some pros and cons to consider about deleting your Facebook account and photos:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| – Removes privacy and security risks | – Lose access to memories and photos |
| – Stops accumulating outdated info | – Disconnect from friends and family |
| – Frees up more time | – Sacrifice social engagement |
| – Provides a fresh start online | – Photos could remain in backups |
There are reasonable benefits to leaving Facebook completely and starting fresh online. But many find it too disruptive to abruptly cut contact with connections and lose access to their photo archives.
Conclusion
Overall, while Facebook deleting all your photos after closing your account is unlikely, it is still possible in some cases based on the company’s data policies. If preserving your photos is vital, downloading an archive of your entire library is recommended before making any account changes. With proper privacy settings, you can also selectively limit visibility of photos you want to share only with close friends and family. But ultimately, the choice depends on your personal priorities, online habits, and social connections.