Lost 14 years of photos, including the only videos I have of my dad. Can I at least get my data back?

Aoife2026-03-01 22:15 UTC1,940 views

I'm not even that bothered about the account anymore if I'm honest. It's been disabled since January, they said child sexual exploitation which is absurd. I'm a 41 year old woman who posts sea swims and my nephews hurling matches... maybe thats it, kids in jerseys? I have no idea. My dad died in 2023. There are videos of him on there singing at my 40th that I never saved anywhere else. Stupid, I know. I can't log in so I can't use Download Your Information. Is there any way to get my stuff out? I'm in Ireland so EU rules apply I assume?

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5 comments

Niamh2026-03-01 22:48 UTC
Not stupid at all, nearly everyone I know keeps everything on there. So sorry about your dad x
ciaran_d2026-03-02 09:30 UTC
You can send Meta a subject access request under GDPR. It's your personal data and the account being disabled doesn't take away your right to a copy. Their privacy policy has a contact route for data requests to the Irish entity. Say clearly that you cannot log in, so the download tool isn't available to you. They have a month to respond (they can extend). If they just point you back to the tool, you can complain to the Data Protection Commission.
Aoife2026-03-02 19:12 UTC
Thank you, I genuinely didn't know that was a thing. Sending it tonight.
Anonymous2026-03-03 11:05 UTC
For the account itself, EU people can go to an out-of-court dispute body. I'm fairly sure Appeals Centre Europe doesn't take child exploitation category cases though, it's on their site. There are a few other certified bodies, worth checking which one covers your type of ban.
Aoife2026-04-14 20:40 UTC
Update for anyone who finds this later: they replied to the SAR after about 5 weeks with a download link. Photos and videos are all there. Account still disabled but honestly I don't care as much now. I watched dad's video about ten times. Thank you all so much.