Meta has updated its commercial service terms, which are scheduled to take effect on October 30. The company removed specific language that previously allowed the use of content from linked websites for the development, improvement, research, and training of its products and services.
The revision follows public criticism from media publishers and legal experts who feared the original wording granted Meta broad authorization to scrape external websites for AI training. Critics argued that the terms could allow the company to bypass traditional licensing agreements for copyrighted content.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone stated that the company listened to feedback to eliminate misunderstandings. The firm clarified that the scraping provisions apply strictly to advertising and commercial services, and it reiterated that website owners can still use robots.txt files to manage automated access.
Despite the changes, industry representatives remain cautious. They note that the updated terms still cover advertising and commercial products, which may incorporate AI technologies. Questions persist regarding the distinction between data used for commercial features and data used for model training.
The controversy highlights the ongoing tension between AI companies and content creators over data usage rights. As Meta continues to integrate AI into its advertising and recommendation systems, publishers are seeking clearer rules to ensure their content remains protected from unauthorized automated harvesting.
