Meta will update its commercial terms to require business accounts to allow the company to train artificial intelligence on their linked website content. Legal experts warn of the shift. The new terms take effect on October 30. There is no opt-out. Instead, the update suggests companies stop using Meta services if they refuse to permit Meta bots to crawl their linked content.
Nieman Lab reported that the change affects all business accounts. It poses a specific risk for news publishers. These organizations currently seek millions in licensing fees from Meta for access to their articles for AI training purposes. News outlets are already in a legal dispute with OpenAI. The fight centers on whether unlicensed training constitutes fair use. Meta's updated terms grant sweeping permissions for data usage. This move bypasses the outcome of ongoing court battles over fair use.