Meta Delays Business Content Crawling Terms
Meta's proposed terms would let it collect content from businesses using its messaging and social apps, drawing court orders in Norway and Brazil.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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On 8 October 2026, Meta proposed new Commercial Terms allowing it to crawl and collect content from websites of businesses using Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Messenger. Meta later delayed the terms until 20 November and removed an explicit reference to AI training, though revised wording still permits use of content to develop generative AI services.
Why it matters
Publishers and media groups argue the terms would let Meta use their journalism to train AI systems without authorisation or payment. Court interventions in Norway and Brazil and complaints to competition regulators show the dispute is spreading across several jurisdictions.
The proposed terms would cover content from websites of any business using Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Messenger for business purposes, with the revised wording permitting use for developing generative AI services. Meta's commitment to respect robots.txt does not appear in the revised terms, and it is unclear how the crawling would be technically limited.
The players
Meta
Meta is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, and the company behind the proposed Commercial Terms.
South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF)
SANEF is a South African professional body representing journalists and editors that publicly opposed the proposed Meta terms.
The details
Ten Norwegian media organisations obtained an interim order from the Oslo District Court on 28 October preventing Meta from implementing the terms. A São Paulo court granted an injunction sought by Brazilian newspaper, magazine and broadcasting associations, barring Meta from collecting Brazilian journalism without authorisation to train AI systems.
Timeline
8 October 2026: Meta announces proposed Commercial Terms.
28 October 2026: Oslo District Court issues interim order against the terms.
5 November 2026: SANEF issues statement opposing the terms.
20 November 2026: Delayed Commercial Terms are scheduled to take effect.
Tech Race
Meta was not required to pay for its use of news content under South Africa's Competition Commission Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry, a precedent the publishers now cite as they push for compensation. The dispute reflects the broader contest among major tech platforms to secure training data for generative AI.
Businesses using Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp or Messenger could have their website content collected for AI development if the terms take effect. Publishers may need to weigh whether to restrict crawling or pursue legal action to protect their work.
The takeaway
Businesses that rely on Meta's platforms should review their website content and any crawling permissions now, before the terms take effect. Publishers pursuing compensation may find that court orders and regulatory complaints are currently the most effective levers.
What happens next
The Commercial Terms are scheduled to take effect on 20 November 2026, when the court challenges and regulatory complaints will be tested against the final wording.
Further reading
For more on how AI firms are gathering training data, see the Artificial Intelligence section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by SANEF | Protecting Media Freedom.
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