What exactly did Meta remove from its terms?

Meta removed language saying it may use any content from domains, web pages, or URLs to develop, train, and improve its products under the commercial terms.

Does this change how Meta uses web crawlers?

No. Spokesperson Daniel Roberts said the update does not change how Meta uses web crawlers, and content owners can still use robots.txt to signal preferences.

Who pushed back against the original language?

Many, including Neiman Lab and James Grimmelmann, a professor of digital and information law at Cornell, interpreted it as an attempt to let Meta use scraped content for free and override robots.txt blocking.

AI Regulation & PolicyAI Business & IndustryThe Verge AI8m agoOct 18, 2026, 01:00 JST

Meta deletes scraping language from commercial terms after backlash

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3 Key Points

What happened
Meta removed language from its commercial terms that experts said allowed scraping news sites to train its AI, and spokesperson Daniel Roberts said the crawling terms only applied to ads and business products.
Why it matters
The removal signals Meta is backing away from terms that critics read as granting free use of scraped content, though Meta says its web crawler practices are unchanged.

WHO IT HITSNews publishers and website owners who rely on robots.txt to block AI scraping may see the clarified terms as a partial win, though Meta says crawler behavior is unchanged.

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Context & Analysis

The dispute began when Meta consolidated its commercial terms and included language that many read as a broad right to use scraped content for AI training. Critics, including Neiman Lab and law professor James Grimmelmann, argued it could supersede robots.txt blocking instructions, effectively letting Meta take news content for free. Meta initially pushed back, with communications VP Andy Stone and spokesperson Daniel Roberts insisting there was no change to crawler behavior. The company has now gone further, removing the controversial clause entirely and issuing a new statement. Roberts clarified that the consolidated crawling terms were meant only for ads and business products, not news scraping, and that content owners retain the ability to signal preferences via robots.txt. The episode highlights how closely publishers and legal experts are watching AI training terms, even as Meta maintains its practices are unchanged.

FAQ

What exactly did Meta remove from its terms?: Meta removed language saying it may use any content from domains, web pages, or URLs to develop, train, and improve its products under the commercial terms.
Does this change how Meta uses web crawlers?: No. Spokesperson Daniel Roberts said the update does not change how Meta uses web crawlers, and content owners can still use robots.txt to signal preferences.
Who pushed back against the original language?: Many, including Neiman Lab and James Grimmelmann, a professor of digital and information law at Cornell, interpreted it as an attempt to let Meta use scraped content for free and override robots.txt blocking.

The Verge AIRead Original Article

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