The Meta commercial terms update removes language that appeared to allow Meta to use content from business accounts’ websites to develop and train AI models. The revision follows concerns about website scraping and publisher rights.
Legal experts interviewed by Nieman Lab warned that the original wording could let Meta collect publisher content from websites linked to Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp business accounts.
How Meta’s Updated Commercial Terms Address Web Crawling
Meta rejected that interpretation. Spokesperson Andy Stone said on X that the changes did not affect the company’s existing crawling practices.
As The Verge reported, Meta subsequently removed the disputed wording and clarified that the provisions applied to advertising and business products. Website owners can still use robots.txt files to communicate crawler restrictions.
However, the revised terms still retain permissions to collect website content for business services. Legal experts continue questioning whether those permissions extend beyond Meta’s stated intentions.
The dispute comes amid ongoing copyright litigation. In May, several major publishers sued Meta over its alleged use of copyrighted books for AI training. Publishers are also pursuing stronger protections, including Cloudflare’s AI crawling controls and content licensing options.
Meta’s revised terms are scheduled to take effect October 30. Although the company maintains that its crawling practices remain unchanged, questions persist about the scope of permissions affecting publishers and business account holders.
