Meta removes terms that raised concerns over content scraping and AI training
Meta has deleted wording from its commercial terms of use that appeared to let it use content from business accounts' websites to develop and train its products. The company says the terms only applied to its ads and business products.
Meta, the technology company behind Facebook and Instagram, has removed a provision from its commercial terms of use that had prompted concern among legal experts and media outlets about web scraping and the training of artificial intelligence (AI) models. TechCrunch reports the change, citing The Verge.
What the terms said
In its recently updated terms, Meta stated it could use any content from the domains, web pages or URLs of a business account to provide, develop, improve, research, train and maintain the integrity of its products and services.
Legal experts interviewed by Nieman Lab called it a “remarkable provision.” In their view, it could allow Meta to scrape the website of any publisher holding a Meta business account and use the material to train the company's AI models.
Meta's response
A Meta spokesperson insisted that the updated terms did not reflect a change in how the company crawls the web. The provision has since been taken out. In a statement, Meta said the consolidated crawling terms applied only to its ads and business products, and that this has now been clarified in the terms themselves. The company added that the change does not alter how Meta uses web crawlers.
Legal backdrop
Last year Meta won a high-profile lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement. Other cases against AI companies, Meta among them, are still continuing.
