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Neither Google nor Facebook/Meta can be declared the privacy-and-security winner from the company descriptions compared here. Both offer tools to review and manage information, but they differ in what those controls cover and what defaults they disclose. Google says Location History and Web & App Activity auto-delete after 18 months by default for new accounts; the Meta materials reviewed do not state a comparable retention default. These are company-described features, not independent tests of how well protections work.
Google vs. Facebook/Meta at a glance
| Question | Facebook/Meta | |
|---|---|---|
| Where to start | Google Account tools, including Dashboard and My Activity, for reviewing account information and activity. Google Safety Center | Privacy Checkup and Accounts Center; Meta says Accounts Center manages experiences connected across its apps. Meta privacy and security tools |
| Retention default stated in the reviewed material | 18-month auto-delete defaults for Location History and Web & App Activity on new accounts; users can change or turn off the setting. Google Safety Center | A directly comparable retention-default period is not stated on the reviewed Meta page. Meta privacy and security tools |
| Off-platform information | Google’s policy says it may receive information from trusted partners for specified business or security purposes. Google Privacy Policy | Off-Facebook Activity lets people review, control, or disconnect information businesses send about activity on other apps and websites. Meta privacy and security tools |
| Account protection | Google describes security settings and products as designed to be secure by default. Google Safety Center | Two-factor authentication adds a protection beyond a password. Meta privacy and security tools |
| Advertising controls and claims | Google says it uses data to make services useful and ads more relevant, but does not use content stored in Drive, Gmail, or Photos for ads. Google Safety Center | Meta lists ad-interest preferences and explains why some content appears; it describes personalization as a use of data. Meta privacy and security tools |
“Facebook” is the product; Meta is the company. Meta’s controls and company-wide systems may relate to a family of apps, while Google Account tools organize controls around a Google account. Connected-app settings should not be treated as identical to every data flow between services.
What each company lets you review, download, or delete
Google: account data and activity
Google describes Dashboard and My Activity as places to review information and activity, and says users can download, move, or delete account data. Its Download Your Data tool can export items such as photos, email, contacts, and bookmarks. Those tools provide user-facing access; the descriptions do not establish that a dashboard exposes every internal record. Google Safety Center
Facebook/Meta: information across its services
Meta says its tools allow people to access, manage, download, delete, and transfer personal data. Meta’s engineering article published February 4, 2025 says data logs became part of Download Your Information starting in February 2024; these logs can include information about content viewed on Facebook. This describes the scope of those logs, not a guarantee that the download contains every record Meta holds. Meta Engineering: data logs in Download Your Information
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Retention: the 18-month figure has a narrow scope
Google says auto-delete is set to 18 months by default for Location History and Web & App Activity on new Google Accounts. Users can change the setting or turn it off. This figure applies to those two activity controls and new accounts; it is not a retention period for all Google data or necessarily for every existing account. Google Safety Center
The reviewed Meta privacy and security page does not provide a directly comparable default retention period. That absence on this page does not show that Meta keeps all data indefinitely; it means the available figure cannot support a like-for-like comparison. Meta privacy and security tools
Rank #2
Off-platform activity is not the same data flow at both companies
Meta’s Off-Facebook Activity control concerns information businesses send about a person’s activity on other apps and websites. Meta says the tool can be used to review or manage that activity and disconnect it from the account. Google’s policy, by contrast, says Google may receive information from trusted partners for specified business or security purposes. These descriptions do not establish that the companies receive the same types of information, from the same sources, or for the same purposes. Meta privacy and security tools; Google Privacy Policy
Advertising: compare the stated use and the relevant settings
Google says it uses data to make its services useful and ads more relevant. It also says it does not use content stored in Drive, Gmail, or Photos for advertising, or sensitive information such as health, race, religion, or sexual orientation to tailor ads. These are Google’s published statements, not independently verified findings. Google Safety Center
Meta lists ad-interest preferences and information about why some content appears, and describes personalization as a use of data. Its page also lists cookie controls in the European Region; availability and interfaces can vary by account, product, or region. The reviewed material does not provide a directly matched measure of advertising data use against Google’s claims. Meta privacy and security tools
Privacy controls and security protections answer different questions
Privacy controls concern matters such as what information is available, how it is used, and how long activity is retained. Account security concerns protection against unauthorized access. Google describes its products as designed to be secure by default and says it strengthens measures against evolving threats; Meta offers two-factor authentication as an additional protection beyond a password. Those feature descriptions do not prove comparative security outcomes or replace an independent assessment. Google Safety Center; Meta privacy and security tools
Rank #4
Meta also describes internal privacy engineering work called Privacy Aware Infrastructure, intended to classify and understand data assets across systems. In an April 28, 2025 engineering article, Meta’s authors say the company has cataloged millions of assets over 10 years and classifies them daily. This is a Meta-reported account of internal work, not an external audit measure. Meta Engineering: Privacy Aware Infrastructure
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to check your settings
- For Google: Open your Google Account and review My Activity and the activity controls for Location History and Web & App Activity. Check each auto-delete choice and change it if needed. Use Dashboard to review account information and Download Your Data when you need an export. Google’s control descriptions are available at the Google Safety Center.
- For Facebook/Meta: Open Privacy Checkup to review who can see shared content, how information is used, and account security. Review Off-Facebook Activity, ad-interest preferences, and Accounts Center for connected-app experiences. If available for your account and region, inspect cookie controls and enable two-factor authentication. See Meta’s privacy and security tools.
- For a copy of Meta information: Use Download Your Information and inspect the available categories and date ranges; data logs may include viewed-content records. The exact data available can depend on the account and export options.
Control names, interfaces, and availability can change or vary by account, product, and region. Google’s Privacy Policy search result identifies an effective date of May 26, 2026; consult the live policy for the current terms. Google Privacy Policy
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What the comparison can—and cannot—show
The comparison supports a practical choice of controls to inspect, not a universal privacy ranking. Google’s 18-month default is specifically described for two activity settings on new accounts, while a matched Meta retention default is not stated in the cited material. A fair overall verdict would require independent, comparable assessments of the same services, account types, regions, and time period. The tools and policy statements here are company descriptions.
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