DEVELOPING STORY · TECHNOLOGY
Meta Removes 'Train' from Commercial Terms Amid AI Scraping Concerns
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Active · revision 3 · last updated October 20, 2026 at 8:30 PM
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LATEST MATERIAL CHANGE
What changed?
Meta has deleted the word “train” from its upcoming commercial terms of service, which will take effect on October 30, after critics warned the policy could allow the company to scrape websites linked to business pages without paying licensing fees. Legal experts argued that the original wording could compel business users to provide large amounts of data for AI training, potentially bypassing news‑organization royalties. Meta confirmed it did not notify users of the change following backlash, a move that may add to confusion as the policy rolls out. The company’s spokesperson acknowledged the initial Nieman Lab report but did not address the follow‑up concerns raised by experts.
Why it matters
The change reflects Meta’s attempt to address AI‑related legal scrutiny and could impact how business pages share content and data with the platform.
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Previous updates
Revision 2 · Source update detected
Revision 1 · Initial ingestion
LINKED SOURCES
Ars Technica · Ashley Belanger · Discovery only; Condé Nast copyright terms apply