Meta is changing the way live videos are stored on Facebook, marking a major shift in the platform managing user-generated content.
Starting Wednesday, there are only 30 days to replay, download or share a new live stream from your Facebook page or profile. Previously, they were stored indefinitely.
The platform will alert users via email or in the app before deleting videos, allowing users to download or transmit their content for up to 90 days. Meta has also introduced new tools to make the transition easier, including the ability to convert videos to reels or transfer them to cloud storage.
The company said the change reflects how most live video engagement occurs in the first few weeks and is designed to enhance privacy. “These changes will align our storage policies with industry standards and help ensure we provide the latest live video experience for everyone on Facebook,” the company said in one. Blog Posts.
Creators can cut key moments and share them as reels, allowing part of a portion of live video to exceed the 30-day limit. The company also offers the option to extend the storage period of older videos for six months.
According to social media consultant and author Matt Navarra, Geekout CommunicationThis is a distinctly privacy game that minimizes the potential risks associated with long-term storage. “From a privacy perspective, reducing the retention period of live video can be seen as a positive development because it doesn’t have longer user data than necessary,” he said.
However, at the same time, he said, the work also involves reducing costs, as storing large amounts of data can become very expensive. “Thinking of billions of dollars, every cent, dollar and pound count, it’s hard to ignore Facebook’s potential economic benefits, thereby reducing storage costs,” Navarra added.
However, it does require users to manage their content by downloading or transferring videos within 30 days to avoid losing it. Navara said this will also force people to make more intentional and intentional decision-making processes more deliberately about what they choose to keep, resulting in a “more planned, intentional decision-making process.”
But this can also stop some creators, as other platforms, including YouTube and Twitch, offer ways to save content over longer periods. Navarra said this could bring the creators to other platforms, adding: “But I’m sure it’s a calculated risk.” Pushing people to create reels from old videos could also add other things, too Local participation.
The changes also highlight the dynamic dynamics between creators and platforms and remind users to create content on platforms they don’t own. “Facebook and Facebook taketh, creators are at the mercy of policies,” Navarra said.
