Meta has updated its commercial terms for business accounts, which will take effect on October 30, 2026. The new language allows the company to use automated tools to crawl and scrape websites associated with businesses that manage pages, run ads, or use business tools on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
The collected content can be used by Meta to develop, improve, research, and train its AI products. The updated terms do not include an opt-out mechanism for businesses. Continued use of Meta’s services after the effective date will be considered as acceptance of these new conditions.
This change potentially allows Meta to train its AI models on publisher content without entering into separate licensing agreements. Many news publishers currently maintain business accounts on Meta platforms for marketing and advertising purposes, which may now bring their websites within the scope of the new policy.
The policy shift has raised concerns regarding the potential erosion of the licensing market for content creators and possible antitrust issues. Publishers now face a choice between accepting the new terms or ending their business presence on Meta platforms entirely.
