● Covered by 7 sources · 16 reportsMedium impact3 negative13 neutral
Meta's New Commercial Terms Allow Scraping of Associated Websites for AI Training
Key points
- New terms effective October 30.
- Meta can scrape websites associated with business accounts.
- Collected content can be used for AI product training.
- Impacts news publishers with Meta business accounts.
- Legal experts suggest terms could override robots.txt directives.
- Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts states no change to web crawler usage.
- Businesses cannot opt out of the new terms.
- The new policy applies to business accounts promoting content across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
- The terms apply to accounts using Meta Business Suite's account dashboard.
- Meta removed the language that allowed it to scrape content from websites for AI training.
- The removed language stated Meta could use content from domains, web pages, or URLs for AI product training.
- Andy Stone is Meta's vice president of communications.
- Meta stated the crawling terms only applied to ads and business products.
- Nieman Lab flagged the new language in Meta's terms.
- Meta removed the word "train" from its commercial terms of service.
- Meta did not alert users to the changed language following backlash.
- James Grimmelmann is a professor of digital and information law at Cornell Law School.
- Meta delayed new terms from October 30 to November 20.
- Meta delayed terms to explain changes to partners and stakeholders.
- Meta sent an email to Reuters and Fast Company about the delay.
- Meta states updated terms are a consolidation of pre-existing conditions.
- Users in the UK and EU can object to Meta's data use for AI training.
- EU users' personal data rights are governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- Meta may delay implementation of updated terms beyond November 20.
- Meta will consult with industry groups and leaders before making policy changes.
- Andy Stone posted on X about the potential delay and consultation.
- Meta paused updates to Product Catalog Terms, Self-Serve Ad Terms, and Ad Creative Generative AI Terms.
- The Los Angeles Times opposed Meta's new AI training terms.
- Meta indefinitely postponed its planned update to commercial terms.
- Meta spokesperson told Reuters they are pausing changes to engage with stakeholders.
- Existing terms remain in effect.
- Nieman Lab warned Meta could avoid millions in licensing fees.
- Ars Technica broke down the changes after Meta announced them.
Meta Updates Commercial Terms
Meta has revised its commercial terms of use, which will take effect on October 30. The updated terms explicitly state that Meta is authorized to use automated software, such as web scrapers and crawlers, to access and collect content from domains, web pages, or URLs associated with business accounts on its platforms.
Implications for News Publishers and AI Training
The new terms will affect various industries, including news publishers, as most news organizations maintain at least one Meta business account. These accounts are used to manage Facebook pages, Instagram profiles, and other Meta channels. The collected content can be used by Meta to "train" its products, which includes its AI initiatives.
Legal experts who reviewed the terms indicate that this provision could allow Meta to obtain material that would typically cost millions of dollars in licensing fees. While the enforceability in court is not definitively clear, publishers are advised to assume it will be enforceable.
Specific Language in the New Terms
The updated terms include language that grants Meta permission to "access, index, cache, analyze, collect, retrieve, or crawl the domains, web pages, or URLs (and any content available through them) that are associated with your products or services." It further states that Meta may use this content to "provide, develop, improve, research, train, and maintain the integrity of, the Meta Company Products, services, and features."
Updates
- Meta indefinitely postponed its planned update to commercial terms.
- Meta spokesperson told Reuters they are pausing changes to engage with stakeholders.
- Existing terms remain in effect.
- Nieman Lab warned Meta could avoid millions in licensing fees.
- Ars Technica broke down the changes after Meta announced them.
- Meta paused updates to Product Catalog Terms, Self-Serve Ad Terms, and Ad Creative Generative AI Terms.
- The Los Angeles Times opposed Meta's new AI training terms.
- Users in the UK and EU can object to Meta's data use for AI training.
- EU users' personal data rights are governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- Meta may delay implementation of updated terms beyond November 20.
- Meta will consult with industry groups and leaders before making policy changes.
- Andy Stone posted on X about the potential delay and consultation.
- Meta states updated terms are a consolidation of pre-existing conditions.
- Meta delayed new terms from October 30 to November 20.
- Meta delayed terms to explain changes to partners and stakeholders.
- Meta sent an email to Reuters and Fast Company about the delay.
- James Grimmelmann is a professor of digital and information law at Cornell Law School.
- Meta removed the word "train" from its commercial terms of service.
- Meta did not alert users to the changed language following backlash.
- Nieman Lab flagged the new language in Meta's terms.
- Meta removed the language that allowed it to scrape content from websites for AI training.
- The removed language stated Meta could use content from domains, web pages, or URLs for AI product training.
- Andy Stone is Meta's vice president of communications.
- Meta stated the crawling terms only applied to ads and business products.
- Legal experts suggest terms could override robots.txt directives.
- Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts states no change to web crawler usage.
- Businesses cannot opt out of the new terms.
- The new policy applies to business accounts promoting content across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
- The terms apply to accounts using Meta Business Suite's account dashboard.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Primary sources
GitHub newrelic/newrelic-browser-agentHow outlets covered it
Meta has indefinitely postponed its planned update to commercial terms that would have allowed extensive AI training on external websites linked on Facebook. The delay follows significant backlash from business account users, legal experts, and international regulators concerned about data scraping and licensing fees.
Meta has paused a planned update to its commercial terms of use that would have allowed it to use content from business accounts for AI training. The update, initially set for October 30 and then November 20, faced significant opposition from users and media organizations concerned about data scraping for generative AI products. Existing terms remain in effect while Meta consults with stakeholders.
Meta is considering delaying the implementation of new business terms that grant it permission to scrape business websites, following significant backlash from publishers and lawmakers. The company states it will consult with industry groups before making policy changes, potentially pushing back the November 20 effective date.
Meta updated its commercial terms for business accounts, allowing it to use content from linked domains and web pages to develop and train its products. This change, initially set for October 30 and then November 20, has caused concern among small businesses and artists, but users in the EU and UK can object to this data use.
Meta updated its commercial terms to allow the use of content from business accounts for AI training, effective November 20. Users in the UK and EU can object to this data use due to GDPR and AI Act regulations.
Meta has delayed the implementation of its updated Commercial Terms and Self-Serve Ad Terms from October 30 to November 20. The delay is to allow Meta more time to explain the changes to partners and stakeholders, following concerns raised by businesses and publishers regarding Meta's right to scrape content for product development and AI training.
Meta revised its business terms by removing explicit language about training AI on news sites, but legal experts state the changes are insufficient. They argue Meta's updated terms still permit the company to use scraped content for developing "business products," which could include AI training, potentially overriding robots.txt directives.
Meta removed the word "train" from its commercial terms of service, effective October 30, following backlash over concerns that the previous wording allowed Meta to scrape websites linked on business pages for AI training data. Legal experts maintain that the updated terms still do not adequately protect business page users from data scraping.
Meta updated its commercial terms of service for business accounts, removing a reference to AI training from its data scraping policy. The change follows concerns from publishers and businesses regarding Meta's right to scrape content from websites associated with their accounts.
Meta removed a provision from its commercial terms of use that allowed it to use content from business accounts' domains for AI training and product development. The original language had raised concerns among legal experts about potential web scraping and copyright implications for publishers.
Meta has updated its commercial terms to remove language that was interpreted by experts as allowing the company to scrape content from websites, including news sites, for AI training. This change follows backlash and clarifies that content owners can still use robots.txt to signal their preferences regarding web crawlers.
Meta's updated commercial terms for Meta Business Suite, effective October 30, permit its automated software to crawl and collect data from websites associated with business accounts. This change allows Meta to use content from these sites for developing and training its AI models, potentially bypassing licensing agreements with publishers.
Meta updated its Business Suite terms to permit web-crawling of websites associated with business accounts, including news publishers. This change, effective October 30, allows Meta to use this data to train its AI products without an opt-out option for users.
Meta is updating its commercial terms of service (TOS) on October 30, requiring business accounts to permit Meta to train AI on content from their linked websites. This change prevents businesses from opting out and could allow Meta to avoid licensing fees for accessing content, particularly impacting news publishers.
Meta updated its commercial terms, potentially allowing it to crawl and use content from websites associated with businesses using its platforms for AI training. Legal experts suggest these terms could override robots.txt directives, enabling Meta to bypass licensing agreements for content from online publishers. Meta states there is no change to its web crawler usage and content owners can still use robots.txt.
Meta updated its commercial terms of use, effective October 30, to permit scraping content from websites associated with business accounts. This change allows Meta to use collected data, including from news publishers, to train its AI products. Legal experts suggest this could grant Meta access to content that would otherwise require significant licensing costs.