Supplemental Zero Data Retention Terms
to the Meta Model API Terms of Service
1. General
These Supplemental Zero Data Retention Terms (“ZDR Terms”) are Additional Terms under Section 2 of the Meta Model API Terms of Service (the “Terms”) and apply solely where Meta has provided these ZDR Terms to you and has enabled Zero Data Retention (“ZDR”) for your Account in accordance with Section 2.3 below. You accept these ZDR Terms when you accept the Terms; no separate signature or acceptance is required. Capitalized terms not defined in these ZDR Terms have the meanings given in the Terms.
Notwithstanding Section 20 of the Terms, these ZDR Terms supplement and, to the extent of any conflict, override the main body of the Terms, including Section 4.4 (Retention). Meta may modify these ZDR Terms by providing a revised version to you, and your continued use of ZDR after the revised version takes effect constitutes your acceptance of it. If you and Meta have executed an order form or other written agreement that expressly addresses ZDR, that agreement controls to the extent of any conflict with these ZDR Terms.
2. Zero Data Retention
2.1. Commitment
Notwithstanding Section 4.4 of the Terms, when Zero Data Retention is enabled for your Account, Content (i.e., Inputs and Outputs) submitted to or generated by the Meta Model API under the Standard Services is processed in real time and not stored by Meta at rest after the API response is returned, except as set forth in Sections 4 and 5 below.
2.2. Eligible Models
ZDR is available only for those Meta Models that Meta designates as ZDR-eligible, as identified in the Meta Model API documentation Meta makes available to you. Meta may add or remove Meta Models from ZDR eligibility upon written notice to you, which notice may be given by updating that documentation or by notice in your Account.
2.3. Enablement
ZDR will be enabled at the organization or Account level designated by you. ZDR is not included in standard usage and cannot be self-enabled from the web UI; it requires separate enablement by Meta. Meta has no obligation to enable ZDR for any Account. ZDR is not available in connection with access to the Services through a Coding Harness Subscription (as described in Section 3.2 of the Terms) unless Meta expressly specifies otherwise.
2.4. Scope
ZDR applies to Meta Model API requests that authenticate into a ZDR-enabled Account or team. Requests made using credentials from a personal Account or an API key from a different organization are not covered by these ZDR Terms.
2.5. Discounted Services Exclusion
For the avoidance of doubt, ZDR does not apply to Discounted Services or to any Content processed using Discounted Models, which are governed by Section 6 of the Terms. ZDR applies solely to Content processed under the Standard Services.
2.6. Meta Model API Only
ZDR applies solely to Content processed through Meta’s direct platform (the Meta Model API). Content routed through third-party platforms, gateways, or intermediaries is subject to those platforms’ own data retention policies and is not covered by these ZDR Terms.
3. Features That Do Not Qualify for ZDR
When ZDR is enabled, certain features that require server-side storage of Content are automatically disabled and will result in rejection with an HTTP 400 response code. Content processed through these excluded features is not subject to Meta’s ZDR commitment.
| Excluded Feature | Implications |
|---|---|
| Chat history in Playground on dev.meta.ai | Conversations created prior to enabling ZDR will be retained and shown unless otherwise deleted by you. |
Stateful features on API (store=true, stored reasoning item reference, previous_response_id) | These options require server-side storage and will not function under ZDR. Meta will force store=false for all ZDR-enabled requests. You should use encrypted Chain-of-Thought (CoT) replay to carry reasoning state across turns without server-side storage. |
Background mode (background=true) | Not available under ZDR. You should use synchronous or streaming mode. |
| File uploads | Not supported for ZDR-enabled accounts. |
| Web search tool | Not yet supported for ZDR-enabled accounts. |
Meta may designate additional features as incompatible with ZDR from time to time if such features require persistence of Content. Meta will provide you with reasonable advance notice of any material adverse changes to ZDR-eligible features. ZDR support may differ from one Meta Model to another.
4. Exceptions: Data Retention for Policy Violations
Even with ZDR enabled, Meta may retain Content where required by law or to address violations of the Model API AUP. Meta may retain Content flagged by automated safety classifiers for up to thirty (30) days to assess whether a policy violation has occurred, unless longer retention is required to comply with applicable law or as reasonably necessary to protect our products or services or any third-party from harm.
No Content retained under this Section 4 will be used by Meta to train, fine-tune, or improve Meta’s generative AI models.
5. What ZDR Does Not Cover
ZDR governs Meta’s data retention practices for the Meta Model API and does not relieve you or your End Users, if any, of their own obligations regarding data management, recordkeeping, or regulatory compliance. The following categories of data are excluded from ZDR coverage, even for ZDR-enabled accounts, and follow Meta’s standard data retention policies:
| Excluded Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Feedback sent through Support on dev.meta.ai | Any content or data submitted through Meta's Support or Contact Us form will be retained for support and investigation purposes. |
| Usage statistics on dev.meta.ai | API usage data (e.g., number of tokens, number of requests, number of tool calls) is retained and displayed in the Usage tab, without the substance of Inputs or Outputs being retained. |
| User and team management | Administrative data such as account emails, team details, and project configurations are retained. |
| Third-party integrations | Content processed by third-party tools, MCP servers, or other external integrations invoked through the Meta Model API is not covered by ZDR. You should review those services’ data handling practices independently. |
| Operational metadata | Details about API calls—including model name, latency, application ID, and token counts—are retained for billing, observability, analytics, and operational use. Operational metadata does not include the substance of Inputs or Outputs. |
For clarity, Usage Data (as defined in Section 4.2 of the Terms) is not Content and is not subject to ZDR.
6. Your Obligations
6.1. Configuration Compliance
You acknowledge that use of excluded features (Section 3) will result in Content being stored outside of ZDR. You are responsible for ensuring that your and your End Users’ (if any) API configurations are consistent with ZDR requirements if ZDR coverage is desired.
6.2. End User Notification
Where and to the extent you route End User requests through the Meta Model API under ZDR, you are responsible for informing End Users of any limitations of ZDR (including the exceptions in Section 4 and excluded features in Section 3) to the extent required by applicable law or your own privacy commitments.
7. No Additional Representations
Meta’s ZDR commitment is limited to the non-persistence of Content as described in Section 2.1, subject to the exceptions and exclusions set forth in these ZDR Terms. Meta makes no additional representations or warranties regarding data handling beyond those expressly stated in these ZDR Terms. Liability arising out of or relating to Meta’s breach of Section 2.1 is subject to Section 18 of the Terms.
8. Term; Survival
These ZDR Terms apply from the date Meta enables ZDR for your Account and continues until the earlier of (a) the date ZDR is disabled for your Account and (b) termination or expiration of the Terms. Sections 5, 6, and 7 of these ZDR Terms survive termination or expiration of the Terms.