Meta backs down on terms that let it crawl business websites for AI
Meta's new business terms seemed to let it scrape the websites of any business using its ads and business tools, and use what it found to train AI. After a backlash, it has rewritten them.
If your business has a Facebook or Instagram business account, or runs ads through Meta, this one is worth knowing about.
Meta recently merged its business terms, due to take effect on 30 October. Tucked inside was a clause giving Meta permission to send automated crawlers to any website "associated" with a business account, and to use that content to develop and train its products, including AI.
Legal experts quoted by Nieman Lab said the wording was unusually broad. Publishers worried it could override the usual way a website says "please don't crawl me" (a small file called robots.txt). Meta said nothing had changed in how its crawlers behave, and that the aim was to pull accurate product details from shops' websites for ads.
On 17 October, after the criticism, Meta removed the line about using that content to train and develop its products. It now says the crawling terms only cover its ads and business products, and that robots.txt preferences are still respected.
What this means for your business
Big platforms change their terms quietly, and accepting them is usually the price of keeping your account. It's worth glancing at any "we've updated our terms" email from a platform you rely on, and asking someone who understands your website to check what its robots.txt allows.
Source: The Verge, 17 October 2026 (also reported by TechCrunch). This is our own summary; read the original for the full story.