Contact Uploading & Non-Users
Help Center
Support Inbox
English (US)
Search Help Center
More navigation options
Information for people who don’t use Meta Products
Copy link
What is contact uploading?
How is my data used?
How do I remove my data?
I have a different question
Meta Platforms, Inc. (“ Meta”, “ we”, “ our” or “ us”) processes your name, mobile phone number and/or your email address if we receive it from our users through the contact uploading or contact syncing feature available on Facebook, Messenger or Instagram (“ Contact Uploading”). We process this information even if you are not a user of Facebook, Messenger or Instagram and/or don’t have an account with us (a “ Non-User”).
About Contact Uploading and how it works
When a user uploads their contacts and grants us access to their device’s address book, we access and upload the names, phone numbers and email addresses in their address book to our servers. This includes contacts who use Facebook, Messenger or Instagram and contacts who don’t have an account with us.
What information is collected about Non-Users?
We collect the name, mobile phone number and/or email address of a user's contacts.
How do we use a Non-User’s information?
Contact Uploading is an optional feature where users can choose to upload their device's address book to Facebook, Messenger and/or Instagram. We process the names, phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses in the address book to see if any of the numbers or email addresses belong to users. If a user’s contact is also on Facebook, Messenger and/or Instagram, we can suggest this contact on Facebook as someone to send a friend request to in the Facebook user’s People You May Know or as a suggested account to follow on Instagram. Users can also invite Non-Users to join Facebook, Messenger and/or Instagram via text or email.
Contact Uploading also allows us to suggest a Non-User who joins as a user of Facebook as a friend to add for the user through People You May Know or as a suggested account to follow on Instagram.
Finally, we will also use the address books uploaded to investigate suspicious activity on the Meta Products and keep our platform safe and secure. We also conduct business intelligence and analytics using the address books uploaded to accurately count people and users of the Meta Company Products.
Meta shares information we collect, infrastructure, systems and technology with the other Meta Companies. We share Non-Users’ data with other Meta Companies to be able to provide the contact import feature and for the purposes set out above.
We retain Non-User’s personal information for as long as needed to provide the Contact Importer feature to users and for the purposes described above. In certain cases, we need to keep your contact information for longer, including after you ask us to erase it. This includes for legal reasons such as to respond to a legal request or comply with applicable law, for regulatory or litigation matters, to prevent harm or for safety, security and integrity purposes. The length of time we need to keep it will depend on the specific reason.
How Non-Users can exercise their rights
We provide Non-users the ability to exercise their rights under applicable laws. To exercise your rights, contact us using the contact information below.
You can learn more about how privacy works on Facebook and on Instagram, and in the Facebook Help Center.
We hope that we can satisfy any queries a Non-User may have about the way in which we process their personal information. In some countries you may also be able to contact the Data Protection Officer for Meta Platforms, Inc., and depending on your jurisdiction, you may also contact your local Data Protection Authority (“DPA”) directly.
Click here if you have a question about the rights you may have.
How we Transfer information
We share the information we collect globally, both internally across our offices and data centers, and externally with our partners, service providers and vendors. Because Meta is global, with users, partners and employees around the world, transfers are necessary for a variety of reasons, including so we can operate and provide the services described in this Data Notice.
Non-User information will be transferred or transmitted to, or stored and processed in:
- Places we have infrastructure or data centers, including the United States, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden, among others
- Countries where Meta Products are available
- Other countries where our partners, service providers and vendors are located outside of the country where you live, for purposes as described in this Data Notice.
We rely on appropriate mechanisms for international data transfers. For example, for information we collect:
- We utilize standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission and by other relevant authorities.
- We rely on determinations from the European Commission, and from other relevant authorities, about whether other countries have adequate levels of data protection.
- We use equivalent mechanisms under applicable laws that apply to data transfers to the United States and other relevant countries.
United States Regional Privacy Notice
If you are a United States resident, you can learn more about your consumer privacy rights by reviewing the United States Regional Privacy Notice.
Contact us
If you have questions about this Notice, or have questions, complaints or requests regarding your information, please use this form.
Was this helpful?
Yes
No
Related Articles
How Meta receives information from other businesses and organizations
The Meta Company Products
What are the Meta Products
How does Meta work with data providers
Businesses and organizations that send us your activity
Related Articles
How Meta receives information from other businesses and organizations \ \
The Meta Company Products\ \
What are the Meta Products\ \
How does Meta work with data providers\ \
Businesses and organizations that send us your activity
Other ways to get help
Chat with Meta AI support assistant
Resolve issues, make changes and get support in real time
About
Privacy
Terms and Policies
Ad Choices
Careers
Cookies
Create Ad
Create Page
© 2026 Meta
Feedback