You can setup most IMAP clients to keep a copy of all messages.

It can't delete an automatic or manual backup I've made of all/some of my email.

I think the argument is that you have a way to export and retain emails while there is nothing you can do with messages on FB other than screenshot.

If the argument is that I can go out of my way to back something up outside of the regular framework of the software, I could do the same by saving messages from Facebook.

Email backups have been standard for decades. There are solution that follow standards and have been tested in audits. Taking screenshots of Facebook messages is very different from that.

You could either save the HTML or pretty easily use some JavaScript to extract the message contents to plain text.

But convincing courts and auditors that this is the original version of that time will be harder with a self-written script than with email backups.

I suppose that's true, but isn't there some precedent for dealing with Web pages? This can't be the first time this has come up.

> There are solution that follow standards and have been tested in audits.

I don't think their point was that you can get text vs images.

Can, but it doesn't mean that they send. My IMAP accounts keep emails on servers, and in my client.