Meta has indefinitely delayed plans to update its commercial terms to require business account users to allow the company to use external websites linked on Facebook for extensive AI training, following weeks of backlash.
A Meta spokesperson confirmed the delay, telling Reuters: "We're pausing the changes as we continue to engage with stakeholders and take our time to get this right. In the meantime, our existing terms remain in effect."
The proposed update would have required Meta Business account users to allow extensive AI training on external websites linked on Facebook. Virtually every news publisher has a Facebook page. Legal experts warned Nieman Lab that the language was vague and could allow Meta to ignore scraping preferences specified in robots.txt files and exhaustively crawl vast amounts of off-Facebook content.
Nieman Lab raised the alarm that the update, if it happened as planned, could potentially allow Meta to avoid millions in licensing fees.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The update would have let Meta train AI on practically any website linked from Facebook, bypassing standard robots.txt protections and threatening publishers' ability to control how their content is used.
- The pause gives publishers and regulators time to scrutinise Meta's AI data practices, but the company has not said how it will address the concerns, leaving the underlying issue unresolved.
- The episode is part of a broader battle over whether tech companies should pay for content used to train generative AI, with implications for the economics of online publishing.
Background
Meta has been rapidly investing in generative AI, training models like Llama on large datasets. The company already uses public Facebook and Instagram posts for training, but this update would have expanded its reach to content hosted outside its platforms. The proposal drew particular concern from news organisations, which have been in negotiations with AI companies over licensing deals for training data.
Key Perspectives
Meta: says it is pausing the changes to engage with stakeholders and ensure the terms are right, with existing terms remaining in effect for now.
Legal experts and Nieman Lab: warned that the update's vague language could allow Meta to ignore robots.txt files and scrape off-Facebook content at scale, potentially avoiding licensing fees for publisher content.
What to Watch
- Whether Meta revises the terms to include explicit protections for robots.txt and publisher opt-outs.
- Responses from publishers and regulators, including potential legal challenges or antitrust scrutiny.
- Updates to Meta's AI data policies as the company continues talks with stakeholders.
Checked
7 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 7 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedMeta indefinitely delayed its plan to update its commercial terms after weeks of backlash.Ars Technica - All content: “After weeks of backlash —and a failed attempt to quell it —Meta has indefinitely delayed plans to update its commercial terms”
- SupportedThe delayed update would have required Meta Business account users to allow extensive AI training on external websites linked on Facebook.Ars Technica - All content: “require Meta Business account users to allow extensive AI training on external websites linked on Facebook.”
- SupportedA Meta spokesperson told Reuters the company was pausing the changes while engaging with stakeholders and taking time to get them right.Ars Technica - All content: “"We're pausing the changes as we continue to engage with stakeholders and take our time to get this right.”
- SupportedThe spokesperson said Meta’s existing terms would remain in effect during the pause.Ars Technica - All content: “In the meantime, our existing terms remain in effect,”
- SupportedVirtually every news publisher has a Facebook page.Ars Technica - All content: “Since virtually every news publisher has a Facebook page,”
- SupportedLegal experts warned Nieman Lab that the language was vague and could let Meta ignore robots.txt scraping preferences and exhaustively crawl large amounts of off-Facebook content for AI training.Ars Technica - All content: “legal experts warned Nieman Lab that the vague language could allow the company to ignore scraping preferences specified in robots.txt files and exhaustively crawl vast amounts of off-Facebook content for AI training.”
- SupportedNieman Lab warned that Meta could potentially avoid millions in licensing fees if the update happened as planned.Ars Technica - All content: “Nieman Lab sounded the alarm that Meta could potentially avoid millions in licensing fees if the TOS update happened as planned.”
