Meta Delays Business Terms Update Amid Data Scraping Concerns

Meta has postponed the rollout of its updated commercial terms of service after publishers, advertisers and regulators raised alarms about data scraping. According to an Oct. 23 Reuters report, the Meta business terms update was first due to take effect on Oct. 30. Fast Company reports the new date is Nov. 20.

What the Terms Say

The controversy centers on a clause that authorizes Meta, or anyone acting for it, to use automated tools such as bots and crawlers to access and collect content from domains tied to a business’s products or services. The wording also lets Meta use that content to develop, improve and train its products. Critics fear this could let Meta legally scrape the website of any company with a Facebook or Instagram presence, feeding its AI models.

Meta’s Response

Meta says the concern is largely a misunderstanding. The company told Reuters it needs more time to explain the language, insisting the update simply consolidates existing terms for clarity. It also says it revised the incoming terms last week to remove references to training. Meta adds that businesses can still block crawlers through their robots.txt files and that existing legal protections remain intact.

Regulatory Pressure Builds

Politico reports that the European Publishers Council and the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority have both asked Meta to clarify its reasoning, and authorities in the EU and U.K. now expect explanations. The scrutiny is heightened by Meta’s history: it has faced lawsuits over data scraping and the alleged use of copyright-protected works to train AI tools, according to The Guardian.

The key question is whether Meta intended a broad data grab or merely a tidy-up of existing permissions. Until the new deadline, businesses may want to review the terms and check their robots.txt settings.