What Meta Says Cookies Are
According to Meta’s Cookies Policy, cookies are “small pieces of text used to store information in web browsers.”
Fair enough, that’s true for everyone. But here’s where the framing begins.
Meta defines all forms of local storage, cookies, device IDs, browser identifiers, as “cookies.” That’s a strategic move. It allows them to talk about tracking technologies under one broad, bland term instead of naming each one.
When Meta says “cookies,” they don’t just mean cookies. They mean anything that can tag, track, or recognize you later.
Where Meta Uses Cookies
Meta doesn’t just use cookies on Facebook or Instagram.
They use them anywhere their code touches the web, that includes:
- The “Like” button on a random blog,
- The “Log in with Facebook” pop-up,
- Instagram embeds,
- Or any site using Meta’s ad tools or analytics.
Even if you don’t have a Facebook or Instagram account, Meta can still drop cookies and track how you move across other websites that use their tools.
So when the policy says “we use cookies whether or not you’re logged in,” it’s not an exaggeration. It’s the business model.
What Meta Actually Uses Cookies For
Meta lists six main reasons for using cookies, and each one reveals a layer of how deeply your activity feeds into their machine.
1. Authentication
To keep you logged in, remember your browser, and recognize you between devices.
- Cookies like “c_user” and “xs” live for 365 days.
- Sounds harmless, until you realize that same “recognition” connects your behavior across apps and browsers.
2. Security & Site Integrity
Cookies like “datr, sb, and dbln” are used to detect suspicious logins, prevent spam, and identify “trusted browsers.”
Legitimate purposes, but note the pattern: Meta assigns your browser a unique fingerprint for 400 days.
3. Advertising & Recommendations
This is where things get interesting, and profitable.
- Cookies like fr (ads), _fbp (analytics), and oo (opt-out) help Meta deliver, measure, and refine ads across the internet.
- They track ad impressions, purchases after viewing an ad, and limit how often you see the same one.
- In short: Meta cookies let advertisers target you based on what you do off Facebook, too.
4. Features & Services
Cookies power “social” functions, remembering your language, showing posts in your region, and keeping Messenger windows open (presence cookie).
These are convenience cookies. Useful, but they also keep the Meta ecosystem sticky, you never really leave.
5. Performance
Cookies like “dpr and wd” make pages load better by adjusting for your device’s display.
This one’s genuinely helpful, though it’s bundled with tracking cookies that serve very different goals.
6. Analytics & Research
Meta studies your clicks, scrolls, and interactions to “improve products.”
- That means your behavior fuels product decisions and ad models alike.
- “Improvement” here often means “more data-driven engagement.”
Who Else Sets Cookies on Meta
Meta also allows third-party companies to set their own cookies on Facebook and Instagram, everything from Google and Microsoft to Pinterest, PayPal, and Twitter.
These aren’t random add-ons; they power Meta’s ad, analytics, and security partnerships.
In other words: Meta’s cookie jar isn’t just Meta’s. It’s a shared kitchen where dozens of companies are stirring their own data mixtures.
How Meta Tells You to “Control” Your Data
Meta generously offers “choices” to manage your cookie data, through ad preferences, off-Meta activity settings, and links to ad industry opt-outs.
But if you look closely, all those “controls” do not stop data collection.
They only affect how that data is used to show you ads.
You can’t actually turn cookies off from Meta’s side, only limit how they personalize your ads.
For true control, Meta directs you to your browser settings.
But there’s a catch: disable cookies and “certain parts of Meta Products may not work properly.”
In short: You can say no, but you’ll break the experience.
The Cookies Meta Names (and Their Lifespans)
|
Cookie |
Purpose |
Lifespan |
|
c_user, xs |
Keep you logged in |
365 days |
|
sb, dbln, datr |
Browser ID & security |
400 days |
|
fr |
Ads relevance & delivery |
90 days |
|
_fbp, _fbc |
Ad analytics & cross-site tracking |
90 days |
|
oo |
Stores your ad opt-out |
400 days |
|
presence |
Messenger status |
30 days |
|
dpr, wd |
Screen display optimization |
7 days |
Notice the imbalance:
Cookies for security last over a year, but cookies for ads last just long enough to maximize retargeting. Efficiency disguised as necessity.
What’s Missing (but Matters)
Meta’s policy is transparent about what cookies do, but less so about what they reveal.
It never explicitly says your browsing patterns are used to infer interests, predict behavior, or build psychological profiles, yet those are the real products of this system.
And by defining every form of tracking under the single term “cookies,” Meta can technically claim compliance while continuing broad surveillance under other names.
Final Takeaway
Meta’s cookie policy reads like a technical document, but functionally, it’s a map of the company’s data economy.
Every cookie, whether it keeps you logged in or tracks your shopping habits, feeds a feedback loop of personalization and profit.
So next time that cheerful “We use cookies to improve your experience” banner pops up on Facebook or Instagram, remember:
It’s not just improving your experience.
It’s improving their ability to remember, and monetize, you.