Meta updates business terms that may allow AI training on publishers’ sites

In short: Meta is changing its business terms in a way that could let it collect content from publishers’ websites and use it to train its AI.

What happened

Meta has published new “commercial terms” for businesses that use its platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The terms are set to take effect on October 30.

According to reporting from Nieman Lab and The Verge, the language appears to give Meta permission to automatically visit and copy content from websites that are “associated” with a business account. This kind of automated visiting is often done with software called a crawler or scraper (think of it like a very fast web browser that reads lots of pages for a company).

The terms say Meta may use content it collects from those websites to “develop, improve, research,” and “train” its AI products. They also say that businesses that do not agree “may stop all access or use” of Meta’s products for business or commercial purposes.

Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts told Nieman Lab the company is “consolidating” its commercial and self-serve ad terms. Legal experts quoted by Nieman Lab said the wording could still have real consequences for publishers.

Why it matters

For regular people, this is part of a bigger fight over who gets to use online writing to build AI systems. Many news sites post links and headlines on Meta’s apps to reach readers. If Meta can treat a publisher’s website as “associated” with that business account, it could potentially gather articles without paying for a separate licensing deal, like paying for a music catalog. That could affect how news organizations get paid, and what information AI tools learn from in the future.

Source: The Verge AI