Meta removes language that may have allowed it to scrape news sites
- Who
- Meta
- What
- removed language in its commercial terms that suggested it could use website content to train its AI
- When
- Quote
Today’s update to its terms and a new statement go further, removing the controversial language entirely.
What happened
Meta removed language from its commercial terms after backlash over wording that experts interpreted as permitting news-site scraping for AI training and overriding robots.txt instructions. Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts said the terms applied only to ads and business products, did not change its web crawler practices, and granted no new rights to supersede content owners’ preferences.
Read next
See the full storyMeta Revises Business Terms After Publisher Backlash, Says Further Delay Is PossibleReported by 3 sources
The story so far
Meta revised and postponed its proposed business terms after publishers challenged their implications for AI scraping, and now says implementation could slip beyond November 20 while consultations continue. Meta communications head Andy Stone said existing terms will remain in place until the update takes effect. The company had already moved the start date from October 30 to November 20. The dispute concerns permissions to use content from websites associated with business accounts promoting content across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The Verge initially reported that Meta had removed the controversial language entirely; Ars Technica described the revision as dropping the word “train.” Legal experts told Nieman Lab that the remaining wording could still authorize AI training: attorney Matt Topic said permission to “develop” business products could encompass training. Other experts said the absence of an explicit commitment to respect robots.txt could leave room for scraping despite website owners’ blocking instructions. Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts said the update applies only to ads and business products, leaves crawling practices unchanged, and grants no new rights to override owners’ preferences expressed through robots.txt. Publishing groups in the UK, Europe, and the US have urged regulatory intervention, with the News/Media Alliance calling for the terms to be blocked.
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