Meta is delaying its new business terms to November 20 after publishers raised concerns that the terms could let the company scrape news sites for AI training, The Verge reported on Friday. The terms were originally set to take effect on October 30.
In a statement to The Verge, Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts said the delay is meant “to allow more time for us to explain to our partners and stakeholders what’s changing and what’s not.” Roberts said that includes “how Meta uses web crawlers and the fact that content owners will still be able to use robots.txt to signal preferences.”
What the terms say
According to Nieman Lab, which first reported on the terms on October 15, they would allow the mass scraping of websites “associated with” business accounts on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads. Virtually every news organization has at least one business account, the outlet noted. On October 16, Meta removed the word “train” from the terms and limited the use of scraped content to “advertising and business products.” Legal experts argued that change is not enough to rule out AI training, according to The Verge.
Nieman Lab reported that as of Friday, Meta had made no changes to the terms other than the date, and that no version of the terms includes language about respecting robots.txt preferences.
Regulators and publishers
Reuters reported that the move followed complaints by publishers and digital advertisers to EU and UK antitrust authorities that the terms would give Meta an unlimited right to use their content for its AI services. Meta has rejected the claims, Reuters said, and told the news agency it was extending the date so it can address concerns from publishers and digital advertisers.
The News/Media Alliance sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday warning of “severe harm” to publishers, The Verge reported. The World Association of News Publishers sent a similar letter to Meta chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan the same day, according to Nieman Lab.
A European Commission statement to Nieman Lab said the Commission “welcomes Meta’s announcement” and is committed to ensuring Meta complies with EU law, “including Article 102 TFEU and the Digital Markets Act.” A spokesperson for the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority said on Friday, according to Nieman Lab, the agency had been “in urgent discussions with Meta this week” and will “continue to scrutinize these terms.”
Theo Bamber, chief executive of the UK’s News Media Association, wrote on LinkedIn, according to Nieman Lab, that “this delay is welcome, but it is a pause not a solution.”
Sources
- The Verge (Emma Roth): Meta delays new business terms after publisher pushback on AI scraping (October 23, 2026)
- Reuters via Investing.com: Meta to delay new commercial terms criticised by publishers, advertisers (October 23, 2026)
- Nieman Lab (Hanaa’ Tameez): Meta delays rollout of terms that would allow broad scraping of news sites. Legal experts are still skeptical. (October 23, 2026)