Information about objections and how you can object on Facebook

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What is an objection?

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), people in the European Union have the right to object at any time to certain types of processing of their personal data where the legal basis for that processing is:
  • The legitimate interests of Facebook or of a third party; or
  • Tasks carried out in the public interest.
They can also object at any time to the processing of their personal data for direct marketing purposes, regardless of the legal basis relied upon.
An objection is a request for Facebook to stop processing your personal data for a specific processing activity (For example: “I want you to stop using my personal data for measurement and analytics purposes”).
An objection is not:
  • A request to stop processing a particular piece of data. For example, “I want you to stop using my name” would not be considered an objection.
  • A request to “delete” your personal data from Facebook. This is not an objection, but a distinct right.
  • A request to withdraw consent, which only applies where the legal basis for the processing activity is your consent (as opposed to Facebook's, or a third party's, legitimate interests).

What does this mean in practice?

The right to object is only available in certain circumstances, that is when the legal basis underlying the processing activity you're objecting to is:
  • Facebook's or a third party's legitimate interests; or
  • A task carried out in the public interest.
You can learn about Facebook's legal bases for processing data, including instances where the processing is necessary for our legitimate interests (or that of a third party) or for a task carried out in the public interest at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/legal_bases.
If you object to a processing activity which Facebook does not carry out for its legitimate interests (or that of a third party) or for a task carried out in the public interest, then unfortunately your objection will not be valid and we will be unable to take further action.
The exception to this is direct marketing. You can object to Facebook's processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes regardless of the legal basis relied upon.

How can I submit an objection?

You can submit an objection by following the instructions here and selecting “I have a different objection to the use of my data”. You will then be asked to complete a form by explaining, at a minimum, the following:
  • The specific processing activity you are objecting to: the processing activities carried out by Facebook and the corresponding legal bases for processing are listed out at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/legal_bases.
  • The reasons for your objection: under the GDPR, you have a right to object on grounds relating to your particular situation. This is important for us to be able to review and assess your objection, as further explained below. This is why we ask you to explain how the processing impacts you (such as what rights and freedoms you believe are impacted by the processing, and why).

When should this form be used?

The form should only be used in the following situations:
  • You want Facebook to stop conducting a specific processing activity with your data and this processing activity relies on Facebook's legitimate interests (or that of a third party) or a task carried out in the public interest - as set out at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/legal_bases.
  • You want to object to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing.
The form should not be used for other purposes, such as:
  • You have product support questions about our self-serve tools that help you access, download, and rectify your information. You can learn more about accessing and downloading your information in the Help Center.
  • You have general questions about our Privacy Policy or data processing. We have a dedicated contact form for concerns about our Privacy Policy.
  • You have concerns or want to complain about Facebook's processing of your data. You can contact the Data Protection Officer if you have questions about the processing of your data by Facebook.
  • You want to exercise your other rights under the GDPR. We have various channels in place for exercising your rights under GDPR which can be found in the Help Center.
  • You have questions about your privacy or account settings. The Help Center offers a number of articles about managing your privacy and controlling your account settings.

What happens when I object to Facebook's processing of my data?

Our Privacy team will review your objection. Please make sure you have provided the information requested in the form to help us review your objection properly.
We'll then let you know whether your objection is successful or not and if not, we will provide you with the reason for our decision. For example, we may deny an objection (other than to direct marketing) if the processing objected to does not rely on the relevant legal basis for an objection to be valid under the GDPR, as explained above.
When reviewing your objection under the GDPR, we need to understand your reason for objecting (example: how the processing impacts you). This is so that we can balance Facebook's legitimate interests (or those of a third party) in conducting the processing activity against your reasons for objecting - as required by the GDPR when assessing an objection.
We will consider several factors when assessing your objection including: your reasonable expectations; the benefits and risks to you, us, other users, or third parties; and other available means to achieve the same purpose that may be less invasive and do not require disproportional effort.
After assessing your objection (other than to direct marketing), we may decide to continue the processing on one of the following bases:
  • After carrying out a balancing test, we concluded that Facebook has compelling legitimate grounds to continue the processing which are not outweighed by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms; or
  • We found that the processing is needed for legal reasons

What happens if my objection is successful?

If your objection is successful, we will stop processing your personal data pursuant to your objection. In addition, if your objection is successful, you have a right to request the erasure of your data under article 17(1)(c) of the GDPR. You can make such a request at the same time as submitting an objection through the free text field of the objection form.

Can my objection be denied?

Yes. There may be several reasons for this:
  • You have not objected to a specific processing activity.
    • Example: “I object to everything Facebook processes about me.”
  • For processing other than direct marketing, Facebook relies on another legal basis than its legitimate interests (or that of a third party) or a task carried out in the public interest.
  • Your objection is not sufficiently grounded, for example, because you have not provided an explanation of how the processing impacts you.
  • After carrying out a balancing test, we consider that our legitimate interests (or that of a third party) are not outweighed by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms.
  • The processing is needed for legal reasons.

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