Meta drops terms language that experts said could let it scrape publishers' sites to train AI

Meta has removed language from its commercial terms of use that legal experts said could have let it scrape the websites of publishers with Meta business accounts and use the content to train its AI models. The Verge first reported the change, and TechCrunch followed. The updated terms had said Meta could "use any content from [a business account's] domains, web pages, or URLs to provide, develop, improve, research, train, and maintain the integrity of" its products and services. Legal experts interviewed by Nieman Lab called it a "remarkable provision." A Meta spokesperson had already said the update did not reflect a change in how Meta crawls the web. After the backlash, the company said: "We've heard you and want to clarify: the crawling terms we consolidated only applied to our ads and business products, and we've clarified that in the terms themselves. It does not change how Meta uses web crawlers." The episode matters to news organizations and other businesses that use Meta's advertising tools, because the clause seemed to tie routine commercial accounts to permission to train AI on their content. TechCrunch notes that Meta defeated a high-profile copyright lawsuit last year, but other cases against AI companies, including Meta, are still ongoing.