Meta drops disputed scraping language from commercial terms after backlash

· Tech · United States

Meta is updating its commercial terms to remove language that suggested it could use content from domains, web pages or URLs to provide and improve its services, a clause that critics said could let it scrape news sites and other content for AI training. Legal experts had warned that the streamlined terms amounted to an AI power grab that could help Meta avoid millions in AI licensing fees. A Meta spokesperson insisted the updated terms did not reflect a change in the way Meta crawls the web. The episode highlights how the wording of platform terms is becoming a front line in the fight over paying publishers and creators for AI training data.

Why it matters：Terms of service are becoming the de facto rulebook for whether AI companies pay for training data, so changes like this affect publishers, creators and the licensing market.

Key points

  • The removed wording concerned use of content from domains, web pages and URLs.
  • Legal experts described the terms as a way to avoid AI licensing fees.
  • Meta says its web-crawling practices are unchanged.

Sources (original reporting)

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