Someone reposted information about me. Can I ask for it to be erased?
The short answer
Where GDPR applies, ask the responsible organisation to erase your personal data and explain the relevant ground, such as unlawful processing or data no longer needed. Being mentioned in a post does not automatically make it unlawful or guarantee deletion. This is separate from changing your audience settings or removing a search result.
What this answer is based onWhat to do
Keep URLs, dates, a limited screenshot, the request, delivery evidence and replies. Avoid spreading the information again while documenting it.
- Check applicability: GDPR covers processing connected to an EU establishment and certain non-EU processing involving services offered to, or monitoring of, people in the EU. It is not a worldwide deletion right. Identify your data, its location and why erasure is justified; do not assume lack of consent alone proves illegality.
- Use the organisation’s official privacy contact or data-protection officer. Ask to erase the specified data, give your reasons and request a written explanation for anything retained. Provide only necessary identity information through a verified channel if reasonably requested. Never send passwords or login codes.
- Track receipt: the normal response period is one month. A necessary extension of up to two further months must be explained within the first month. Requests are normally free; manifestly unfounded or excessive requests can be refused or charged for. If refused or unanswered, use the competent data-protection authority’s complaint guidance and attach the correspondence. Its investigation has no promised completion date here.
The situation
An old public post exposes your phone number. Making your own profile private does not withdraw that copy. Identify the exact post and the organisation handling your data.
The situation and an improvement
Repeat a moderation report without identifying the personal data or the privacy request.
Send a specific erasure request, preserve the response and choose the data-protection complaint route if needed.
More examples
A copy remains elsewhere
The original post is deleted, but another site still displays it.
What to do
Record that separate URL and contact its responsible organisation. One deletion does not prove every copy has gone.
The organisation refuses
The reply cites freedom of expression or required retention.
What to do
Keep the explanation and identify the disputed data and reasoning. Seek the competent authority’s guidance; a refusal is not automatically unlawful. Find authorities in the EDPB directory.
What this answer is based on
GDPR · Articles 3, 12, 17, 19 and 77eur-lex.europa.euEDPB · Respect individuals’ rightsEuropean Commission · Information for individualsEDPB · National data protection authoritiesPrimary source readReview details
Source reviewed:
We read the official source listed for this topic. Other Meta rules are reviewed separately.
Read the GDPR and public EDPB and Commission guidance, plus the authority directory. This concerns erasure at the source, not search-result removal. No Meta account, privacy form, national complaint submission or individual legal entitlement was tested. Evidence preparation is practical guidance; no outcome is promised.
Include the guide link, language and wording that needs checking. Add an official source link if you have one. Do not send passwords, login codes or photos of identity documents.
Examples are made up to explain the guidance. Meta decides individual account and content cases.
Sources and related topicsPolicy Graph · Demo in development