Meta Removes Controversial Web Scraping Clause After Backlash

Meta dropped a disputed term from its commercial guidelines following criticism that it allowed AI training on publisher content.

NationPulse Desk

Oct 19, 2026 · 2:50 PM 2 min read

Key takeaways

Meta removed a disputed clause from its commercial terms on Saturday after criticism from publishers and legal observers.

The original language allowed Meta to use content from business account domains to train and develop its products.

Nieman Lab first reported the terms on October 15, and the UK English and Korean editions still contain the original train language.

The European Publishers Council and UK News Media Association are seeking regulatory and government intervention.

Meta deleted a disputed provision from its commercial rules on Saturday following intense backlash from legal analysts and publishers, which professionals argued would permit the firm to harvest news sites for artificial intelligence training.

Previous wording permitted Meta to use material from URLs, domains, and web pages connected to business accounts for maintaining, training, researching, improving, developing, and providing products. Because almost every news outlet maintains a business profile on Instagram or Facebook, specialists cautioned the rule could grant Meta gratis entry to material valued at millions in fees. The deleted section stated:

... Meta may use any content from such domains, web pages, or URLs to provide, develop, improve, research, train, and maintain the integrity of, the Meta Company Products, services, and features provided under these Commercial Terms and any other applicable supplemental terms.

Nieman Lab initially uncovered the conditions on October 15, sparking immediate criticism. James Grimmelmann, a law professor at Cornell, cautioned that the provisions might bypass the robots.txt files of publishers. The section also permitted Meta to generate test credentials for site entry, which Grimmelmann noted could allow the company to sign up as a fraudulent user to circumvent registration barriers. The News/Media Alliance labeled the conditions likely illegal and outrageous.

Meta subsequently revised the US English edition of the guidelines, eliminating the word train from allowable activities and restricting the application to business and advertising goods. A company representative stated that the unified crawling rules applied solely to business and advertising goods. Analysts stay doubtful, while the News/Media Alliance stated that eliminating a single term fails to ban the actual practice.

The Korean and UK English versions still retain the original train phrasing. A review on October 18 verified that neither version incorporated the restricted US phrasing. International publishers might therefore encounter the expansive provision when the revised rules take effect on October 30.

The European Publishers Council stated it will request investigation from European Union regulators regarding the rules. The UK News Media Association requested governmental action as well. Meta confronts rising regulatory scrutiny across the Atlantic while attempting to grow its artificial intelligence training operations.

Questions and answers

What did the original Meta commercial terms allow?

The original language allowed Meta to use content from domains, web pages, or URLs linked to business accounts to provide, develop, improve, research, train, and maintain its products.