Facebook, the popular social media platform owned by Meta, has over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of 2022. With such a massive userbase, Facebook’s email practices are often a topic of discussion and speculation among users.
Is Facebook allowed to send emails?
Yes, Facebook is allowed to send emails to users. When you create a Facebook account, you provide your email address and agree to their Terms of Service. This gives Facebook permission to send you emails for account-related purposes.
Facebook’s Terms of Service state: “We will send you messages about your activity on our Services, service announcements, security announcements, and administrative messages.”
So by agreeing to the Terms, users give Facebook consent to email them for various account, service, and administrative reasons.
What types of emails does Facebook send?
Facebook sends various types of emails to users including:
- Welcome emails when you first create an account
- Notification emails about friend requests, messages, post interactions, etc.
- Emails about new features or changes to the platform
- Security alerts about suspicious logins or password resets
- Billing notices if you purchase ads or other services
- Newsletter or digest emails if you sign up for them
So in summary, Facebook sends automated emails related to your account activity, as well as promotional and informational emails if you opted into them.
How does Facebook get your email address?
Facebook gets your email address directly from you when you create your account. Your email is required during the Facebook signup process. Some additional ways Facebook may get email addresses include:
- Importing your email contacts if you allow it
- Obtaining emails from advertisers looking to target Facebook users
- Partnering with other companies that have user email lists
- Acquiring emails through purchases or mergers with other companies
But the primary way is from users signing up with their email address. Facebook says they will not sell or share your email address with external parties without your consent.
How to control Facebook emails
If you want to limit non-essential emails from Facebook, there are some steps you can take:
- Adjust your email notifications settings in your Facebook account.
- Opt out of Facebook’s promotional or newsletter emails.
- Be selective when importing contacts or sharing your email with apps.
- Update your Facebook ad preferences to limit targeted ads.
- Adjust your overall account notification settings.
You will still receive essential account-related emails, but you can reduce promotional or non-critical notifications. Keep in mind completely stopping Facebook emails may mean missing important activity.
Facebook email address options
When you create a Facebook account, you have a couple options for which email address to use:
- Use your primary personal email address associated with your name (e.g. [email protected]). This links your Facebook profile to your real identity.
- Use a secondary or disposable email address. This adds a bit more anonymity to your Facebook account.
- You can also create a Facebook-specific email address ending in @facebook.com, @fb.com, or @messenger.com.
The email address you use will determine how easy it is for people to find and connect with you on Facebook. It also impacts how Facebook can share data with parent company Meta.
Pros and cons of Facebook email address
| Type | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Primary email | – Easier to find friends/family – Get notifications from real email |
– Links to your real identity – Shared with Meta |
| Secondary email | – More privacy – Keep Facebook separate |
– Harder to find contacts – Miss email notifications |
| Facebook email | – Very private – No external emails |
– Need to check Facebook inbox |
So in summary, using your primary email makes it easier to find contacts but gives Facebook your real identity. An alternate email gives you more privacy but may be harder to manage. A Facebook-specific email is private but requires checking Facebook for notifications.
Does Facebook read your emails?
According to Facebook’s data policy, they do not read the content of users’ emails or messages. However, some key facts about Facebook and emails include:
- They may scan email subject lines for spam monitoring or sorting purposes.
- They can see who you email and how frequently to suggest friends or target ads.
- Third-party apps you’ve connected may access your emails and messages.
- Facebook owns WhatsApp and Instagram Direct, and may link that data.
- Law enforcement can request access to messages in criminal cases.
So while Facebook states they do not directly read email content, they have access to certain email metadata and affiliate companies/third parties that may have related access. Users should be aware of the extent of data sharing when connecting outside apps.
Does Facebook sell your email?
Facebook claims they do not sell, share, or distribute users’ personal identifiable information without consent. However, they share “non-personally identifiable” data with advertisers, affiliates, and partners.
Some key points about Facebook and selling data:
- Your email is identified as personal information that Facebook does not share.
- They may share aggregated demographic data that cannot identify you.
- Partners and affiliates may receive limited information for integrations.
- You can limit some data sharing through ad preferences.
While Facebook says they do not sell your email directly, the vague “non-personal” data distinction allows for a lot of indirect sharing. Users have to take care in reviewing privacy settings and limiting third-party app access to maintain control over their information.
Can you delete your Facebook but keep Messenger?
Yes, it is possible to delete your Facebook account while maintaining access to Facebook Messenger. To do this:
- Go to your Facebook account settings.
- Find the option to “Deactivate Account.”
- Choose to “Deactivate and delete account.”
- Opt to “Keep Messenger active.”
This will delete your Facebook profile and posts, but maintain the Messenger app with your messaging history intact. You can sign back into Messenger with your phone number. Keep in mind Facebook may still maintain some data about you for “safety and security” purposes.
Pros and cons of deleting Facebook only
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| – Discontinue Facebook use – Maintain Messenger access – Reduce Facebook data collection |
– Some data still maintained by Facebook – Lose access to sign in with Facebook feature – Can’t reactivate same account |
In summary, deleting your Facebook while keeping Messenger lets you quit Facebook but still message friends. However, Facebook will retain some data and you lose your original Facebook account. Evaluate whether to fully delete Facebook or selectively tighten privacy settings.
Conclusion
Facebook sends a variety of emails to users for account notifications, marketing, promotional purposes, and more. While they claim not to read private email content, they have access to certain metadata and affiliate companies that may have related access. Facebook states they do not sell private email addresses, but still share aggregated “non-personal” data. Users can manage email preferences and app permissions, but Facebook’s data networks are far-reaching. With scrutiny growing, Facebook may be pressured into offering more transparent privacy controls in the future.