Meta removes terms language experts read as AI scraping permission
A Meta spokesperson told The Verge the change does not alter how the company uses web crawlers or how robots.txt preferences are respected.
Meta has removed language from its commercial terms page that experts had interpreted as permission to scrape content from domains, web pages and URLs to train its AI, according to The Verge. The company also issued a clarifying statement about the change.
The updated terms state that the crawling provisions Meta consolidated applied only to its ads and business products. Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts told The Verge that the update does not change how Meta uses web crawlers.
Meta said content owners can still use robots.txt to signal their preferences, and that the update does not give Meta new rights that supersede those preferences.
The language drew scrutiny earlier: Meta's commercial terms previously said the company may use any content from such domains, web pages or URLs to provide, develop, improve, research, train and maintain the integrity of Meta products, services and features. Neiman Lab and Cornell professor James Grimmelmann were among those who read it as an attempt to use scraped site content for AI training for free and to override robots.txt blocking instructions.
Meta vice president of communications Andy Stone and Roberts had previously pushed back on that reading, saying there was no change to how Meta uses web crawlers and that any suggestion to the contrary was false.
Quick answers
What did Meta change in its commercial terms?
It removed language that experts interpreted as permission to scrape domains, web pages and URLs to train its AI. The updated terms say the crawling provisions applied only to Meta's ads and business products.
Does the change affect how Meta crawls websites?
Meta spokesperson Daniel Roberts said the update does not change how Meta uses web crawlers, and Meta said content owners can still use robots.txt to signal their preferences.