Meta removes web content terms after AI training concerns
Meta has removed wording from its commercial terms of use after the language prompted concerns that the company could scrape content from websites tied to business accounts for AI development. The change follows criticism from legal experts and comes as scrutiny of how technology groups gather training data for AI models remains high.
Highlights
- Meta removed a provision in its commercial terms that allowed use of business account web content for AI training after publisher backlash.
- Legal experts previously warned the language could let Meta scrape any publisher's website with a Meta business account to train AI models.
- Meta stated the updated terms only clarify existing practices and do not change how its web crawlers access or use online content.
Terms revision follows publisher backlash
As reported by TechCrunch, citing The Verge, Meta has taken out a provision in its commercial terms that said the company could use content from a business account's domains, web pages or URLs to provide, develop, improve, research, train and maintain the integrity of Meta products and services.The language had drawn concern because legal experts interviewed by Nieman Lab said it appeared broad enough to let Meta scrape the website of any publisher with a Meta business account and use that material to train its AI models. Those concerns emerged even as Meta continues to face wider legal scrutiny over copyright and AI training practices, despite defeating a high-profile infringement lawsuit last year.
Meta says crawling practices stay unchanged
A Meta spokesperson says the updated terms do not reflect any change in how the company crawls the web. In a company statement, Meta says it had consolidated crawling terms that applied only to its ads and business products and had now clarified that point in the terms themselves.Meta also says the revision does not alter how it uses web crawlers. The episode highlights the commercial and regulatory sensitivity around AI data collection, particularly for publishers and other businesses assessing how platform operators may access and reuse online content.
In our earlier coverage of ByteDance’s AI safety push, we reported that its Seed research unit set up an Alignment & Preparedness team and launched a global hiring drive for 10 researchers. The initiative was framed as a long-term investment in testing, monitoring, and risk preparedness as AI systems become more autonomous and face tighter regulatory scrutiny.
-
Afghanistan
-
Albania
-
Algeria
-
Angola
-
Argentina
-
Armenia
-
Australia
-
Austria
-
Azerbaijan
-
Bahamas
-
Bahrain
-
Bangladesh
-
Belarus
-
Belgium
-
Bolivia
-
Botswana
-
Brazil
-
Brunei
-
Bulgaria
-
Cambodia
-
Cameroon
-
Canada
-
Chile
-
China
-
Colombia
-
Congo
-
Costa Rica
-
Cote d'Ivoire
-
Croatia
-
Cuba
-
Cyprus
-
Czechia
-
DR Congo
-
Denmark
-
Dominican Republic
-
Ecuador
-
Egypt
-
El Salvador
-
Estonia
-
Eswatini
-
Ethiopia
-
Finland
-
France
-
Georgia
-
Germany
-
Ghana
-
Greece
-
Haiti
-
Hong Kong
-
Hungary
-
India
-
Indonesia
-
Iran, Islamic republic
-
Iraq
-
Ireland
-
Israel
-
Italy
-
Jamaica
-
Japan
-
Jordan
-
Kazakhstan
-
Kenya
-
Korea
-
Kuwait
-
Kyrgyzstan
-
Laos
-
Latvia
-
Lebanon
-
Lesotho
-
Libya
-
Lithuania
-
Luxembourg
-
Madagascar
-
Malaysia
-
Malta
-
Mauritius
-
Mexico
-
Moldova
-
Mongolia
-
Montenegro
-
Morocco
-
Mozambique
-
Myanmar
-
Namibia
-
Nepal
-
Netherlands
-
New Zealand
-
Nigeria
-
North Macedonia
-
Norway
-
Oman
-
Pakistan
-
Palestine
-
Panama
-
Papua New Guinea
-
Paraguay
-
Peru
-
Philippines
-
Poland
-
Portugal
-
Puerto Rico
-
Qatar
-
Reunion
-
Romania
-
Rwanda
-
Saudi Arabia
-
Serbia
-
Singapore
-
Slovakia
-
Slovenia
-
Somalia
-
South Africa
-
Spain
-
Sri Lanka
-
Sweden
-
Switzerland
-
Syria
-
Taiwan
-
Tajikistan
-
Tanzania
-
Thailand
-
Trinidad and Tobago
-
Tunisia
-
Turkey
-
UAE
-
Uganda
-
Ukraine
-
United Kingdom
-
United States
-
Uruguay
-
Uzbekistan
-
Venezuela
-
Vietnam
-
Yemen
-
Zambia
-
Zimbabwe
- Forex
- Crypto
