# How long does MessageBird retain personal data? In compliance with the applicable laws and regulations, we only retain personal data when we have a specified purpose that permits us to keep it. Our legal obligations include: ### Purpose 1. Preventing misuse of MessageBird’s services (SPAM, phishing and other fraudulent behavior) Data. Account holder data, traffic data, and communication content Retention period. 6 months after the electronic communication is transmitted (not terminated) ### Purpose 2. Financial purposes; obligations from the (Dutch) Tax Authorities and EU MOSS Data. Invoices and related personal data Retention period. 7 - 10 years ### Purpose 3. Proof of exercising of rights have been fulfilled. MessageBird must show that requests made have been fulfilled based on the Dutch General Administrative Law Act (Algemene Wet Bestuursrecht) Data: A confirmation email or closed ticket. Retention period: 5 years. ### Purpose 4. Provision of services. Data 1: Account holder data Retention period 1: Duration of services Data 2: Traffic data and communication content Retention period 2: 6 months (SMS and Voice) or for as long as the services are used by the customer (OTT and Inbox, etc.). --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.bird.com/connectivity-platform/data-protection/how-long-does-messagebird-retain-personal-data.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.