Norwegian media sue Meta to block AI scraping of journalistic content

Coalition seeks injunction against new commercial terms that would let Facebook and Instagram collect articles, images and videos for AI training

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published27 October 2026

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Illustration: Norwegian media sue Meta to block AI scraping of journalistic content

A coalition of ten Norwegian media organisations has filed a legal challenge against Meta, seeking to block the company from using their journalism to train artificial intelligence models. The groups argue that new commercial terms for business accounts on Facebook and Instagram force publishers into an all-or-nothing choice: allow their content to be scraped for AI development or delete their accounts.

The plaintiffs, which include public broadcaster NRK, media groups Schibsted, Amedia, Polaris and Aller, and the Norwegian news agency NTB, have asked the Oslo District Court to issue a provisional injunction halting the terms while the substance of the case is heard.

Meta quietly announced the changes to its Commercial Terms on 8 October, with an initial rollout planned for 30 October. After widespread pushback from European publishers and antitrust authorities, the company postponed the rollout. It is now set for 20 November. Meta said the delay was "to allow more time for us to explain to our partners and stakeholders what's changing and what's not".

According to the media groups, the new terms would give Meta the right to collect their articles, photos and videos, including content behind paywalls, and use them to develop artificial intelligence products. The groups say the terms leave professional account holders, including news outlets, with no opt-out other than deleting their accounts entirely.

Lene Eltvik Vindfeld, head of the Norwegian Media Businesses' Association (MBL), said in a statement: "The fear is that the companies will use this power to secure rights over journalistic content." She added: "Meta uses media groups' investments to develop artificial intelligence services that compete with them directly. This is both unacceptable and distorts competition."

The Norwegian case is the latest flashpoint in a broader dispute over publishers' rights on tech platforms. Since May, more than 340 local and national news sites, including the Guardian, the New York Times and USA Today, have blocked internet archive crawler bots to prevent data collection for AI training. In June, France's competition authority warned Meta that its approach to copyright negotiations with news outlets could "seriously harm" the press.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

The case tests whether European publishers can compel a US tech giant to exclude their copyright content from AI training ahead of a full legal ruling.
If successful, it could set a precedent for how Meta and other platforms must negotiate with news organisations over data used to build competing AI products.
The 20 November rollout deadline means the Oslo court's decision on the injunction could come within weeks, affecting publishers across Europe facing similar terms.

Background

Norwegian media organisations have been in dispute with Meta over commercial terms for months. In October, MBL and NRK threatened to sue Meta over fraudulent advertisements impersonating them, which they said profited the company. The broader global tension between publishers and AI companies has escalated since early this year, with hundreds of news sites blocking automated data collection and regulators in France, the UK and elsewhere scrutinising how tech firms use journalistic content for AI training.

Key Perspectives

Norwegian Media Businesses Association (MBL) and plaintiffs: The new terms give Meta excessive control over publishers' journalism, allow its use in direct competitors (AI products), and offer no opt-out short of deleting accounts, a distortion of competition. Meta: The company postponed the rollout to explain the changes more clearly to partners and stakeholders, suggesting the terms have been misunderstood.

What to Watch

The Oslo District Court's decision on the request for a provisional injunction, expected before the 20 November rollout.
Whether other European publisher coalitions file similar challenges before or after the Norwegian ruling.
If the injunction is granted, how Meta responds, whether it alters the terms for Norwegian accounts or pauses the rollout for all European business accounts.

Sources

Norwegian media sue Meta over plans to use their journalism for AI · Euronews

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedNorwegian media organisations are suing Meta to block it from scraping journalistic content for AI use.Euronews: “A coalition of Norwegian media organisations has launched legal action against Meta, arguing that the company’s new terms for business accounts could undermine publishers’ control over their own journalism and allow it to be used in AI products without their agreement.”
Partly supportedThe coalition seeks an injunction against terms that would let Meta collect publishers’ content for AI training.Euronews: “According to the 10 media groups, the new terms would give Meta ... the right to collect their articles, photos and videos, including those behind a paywall, and use them to develop artificial intelligence products, among other things.”
Partly supportedThe ten media groups filed a legal challenge seeking to stop Meta from using their journalism to train AI models.Euronews: “A coalition of Norwegian media organisations has launched legal action against Meta, arguing that the company’s new terms for business accounts could undermine publishers’ control over their own journalism and allow it to be used in AI products without their agreement.”
Partly supportedThe groups argue publishers face an all-or-nothing choice: allow scraping or delete their accounts.Euronews: “Critics say news publishers are being forced into an “all-or-nothing” choice by the US tech giant: allow Meta to scrape their journalism, potentially for AI training, or lose their Facebook and Instagram presence entirely.”
SupportedThe plaintiffs asked the Oslo District Court for a provisional injunction while the case’s substance is heard.Euronews: “They said they had filed a request with the Oslo District Court for a provisional injunction against the entry into force of the terms of use, pending a ruling on the substance of the case.”
SupportedMeta said the delay was “to allow more time for us to explain to our partners and stakeholders what's changing and what's not”.Euronews: “The launch is now set for 20 November, “to allow more time for us to explain to our partners and stakeholders what's changing and what's not”, said Meta.”
SupportedLene Eltvik Vindfeld said: “The fear is that the companies will use this power to secure rights over journalistic content.”Euronews: ““The fear is that the companies will use this power to secure rights over journalistic content,” the head of the Norwegian Media Businesses' Association (MBL), Lene Eltvik Vindfeld, said in a statement.”
SupportedVindfeld said Meta uses media groups’ investments to develop AI services that compete with them directly, calling this unacceptable and distortive of competition.Euronews: ““Meta uses media groups' investments to develop artificial intelligence services that compete with them directly. This is both unacceptable and distorts competition,” she added.”
SupportedMeta announced changes to its Commercial Terms on 8 October, with rollout planned for 30 October.Euronews: “Meta quietly announced it was changing its Commercial Terms on 8 October, with plans to roll out on 30 October.”
SupportedMeta postponed the rollout after pushback, and it is now set for 20 November.Euronews: “However, the company postponed the roll-out after receiving widespread pushback from European publishers and antitrust authorities. The launch is now set for 20 November”
SupportedSince May, more than 340 local and national news sites have blocked internet archive crawler bots to prevent data collection for AI training.Euronews: “Since May this year, more than 340 local and national news sites including the Guardian, the New York Times and USA Today have blocked internet archive crawler bots to prevent them from collecting data for training AI models.”
SupportedIn June, France’s competition authority warned Meta that its approach to copyright negotiations with news outlets could “seriously harm” the press.Euronews: “And in June, France’s competition authority warned Meta that its approach to copyright talks with news outlets could “seriously harm” the press.”