Meta Updates Data Scraping Policy Following Criticism
Meta says the revised terms apply to ads and business products only, while critics say ambiguity remains over how the company can use web crawlers.
- On Friday, Meta announced updates to its Commercial Terms, removing language that suggested the company could use automated software to train artificial intelligence models without explicit limits.
- The initial policy, scheduled to take effect Oct 30, granted Meta authority to use automated software to grab any content from business websites, prompting critics to interpret it as an attempt to train artificial intelligence products without compensation.
- Media Alliance spokesperson Sam Quigley remains concerned the revised language "limits what Meta is allowed to use publisher content for, but not their ability to crawl and get the content in the first place." Santa Clara University professor Eric Goldman said terms remain "still vague and potentially overbroad."
- Meta reiterated that changes do not alter how it uses automated software, citing intent to maintain the integrity and security of Meta Company Products, yet the company has not explicitly incorporated voluntary instructions into written terms.
- Uncertainty persists regarding whether Meta will fully respect voluntary instructions for automated software, as critics argue that without explicit guarantees in the terms, the company's actual practices regarding publisher content remain difficult to verify.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Meta drops ‘train’ from website-crawling terms
Meta has rewritten new terms that would have let it crawl and train its AI on the websites of businesses that use its ads and tools. Critics say the change does not go far enough. The company changed the terms late on Friday after complaints from business customers and the media, Gizmodo reported. The revised terms preview no […] This story continues at The Next Web
Meta removes language that may have allowed it to scrape news sites
After backlash, Meta is updating its terms again to remove language that suggested it could scrape content from sites, including news sites, to train its AI. Specifically, the following language no longer appears on the commercial terms page: … 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 und…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
