Overview
- This month Meta revised its commercial terms to delete the explicit word “train” but left in a clause that lets it use automated tools to crawl websites linked to business accounts, with the terms set to take effect on Oct. 30.
- The preserved language lets Meta create “test credentials,” run separate crawlers, and periodically pull updates from domains associated with businesses, which experts say could allow wide harvesting of site content.
- Publishers, trade bodies and campaign groups have urged businesses to delete Meta business accounts before Oct. 30 and are preparing legal and regulatory complaints to authorities in the UK, EU and US.
- Meta says the consolidated crawling terms apply only to advertising and business products and that site owners can signal preferences using robots.txt, while industry groups note there is no opt-out other than stopping use of Meta’s business tools.
- Rights and policy experts warn the practical effect could weaken publishers’ licensing markets because robots.txt is not always legally enforceable and the clause’s broad wording may still permit reuse of scraped content for product development.