Science & Tech · Big Tech & Internet · 9 hrs ago
European publishers urge EU to stop Meta's planned content terms
European publishers have urged the EU to halt Meta's planned terms for using news content.
The terms would allow Meta to collect and store publishers' content without consent if they have a profile on one of its social networks.
This could include material on publishers' own websites, not just posts shared on Meta platforms.
An early version of the terms said the content could be used to train artificial intelligence.
Publishers say this could harm intellectual property rights and want clear consent, payment agreements and a way to opt out without losing access to Meta's tools.
The terms are due to take effect on October 30 if there is no EU mediation before then.
European publishers have urged the European Commission to stop Meta’s planned business terms before they take effect on October 30.
The publishers say the terms could let Meta collect and use journalistic content from companies with profiles on its social networks without consent.
Meta removed wording that explicitly referred to training its products on scraped content, but legal experts say the revised terms may still permit use of content to develop business products.
Meta says the update is not intended to enable scraping of news sites and does not override publishers’ robots.txt preferences.
The European publishers’ groups have called for consent, respect for intellectual property rights and agreements on authorization and payment.
- Who
- European publishers’ associations, including EMMA, ENPA, EPC and News Media Europe, with backing from Spain’s AMI, are urging the European Commission to act. Meta is the company whose terms they oppose.
- What
- The publishers want the Commission to stop or suspend Meta’s planned business terms for using media content.
- When
- The terms are due to take effect on October 30, 2026, unless there is European mediation.
- Where
- The request was made to the European Commission in a letter addressed to its president and competition commissioner.
- Why
- Publishers say the terms could allow Meta to collect, store and use journalistic content without consent or payment, harming intellectual property rights.
European publishers
Meta
Use of news content
European publishers
The terms could let Meta collect and use journalistic content without consent, authorization or payment.
Meta
Meta says the update is not about scraping news sites and does not give it new rights that override robots.txt preferences.
Scope of terms
European publishers
Publishers say the terms could reach content on media companies’ own websites, not only content posted on Meta platforms.
Meta
Meta says content owners can use robots.txt to signal their preferences.
Meta’s new business terms said the company may use content from websites associated with a business account to develop, research and train its products.
Meta removed wording saying it would train products with scraped content.
FAZ reported that media associations were calling on the European Commission to stop Meta’s planned terms.
European publishers’ associations urged the Commission to take urgent measures against the terms.
The terms are due to take effect unless there is European mediation.
- Effective date
- October 30, 2026
- European publishers’ groups
- EMMA, ENPA, EPC and News Media Europe
- Spanish association backing the initiative
- Asociación de Medios de Información (AMI)
- European Commission president addressed
- Ursula von der Leyen
- European Commission competition commissioner addressed
- Teresa Ribera
3 sources
What people are saying
This does nothing to restrict the ‘associated with your products or services’ [language] that would let Meta scrape entire sites
content owners can use robots.txt to signal their preferences
is not about scraping news sites, and these updates don’t give us new rights that supersede those preferences
Los contenidos informativos no pueden convertirse en una materia prima gratuita al servicio de los modelos de negocio de las grandes plataformas tecnológicas