Meta drops policy language on scraping content and news sites for AI training

Meta has updated its terms to eliminate language that suggested the platform could scrape content from across the internet to train its artificial intelligence12.

The change arrived following public backlash over terms that specifically indicated Meta could collect material from websites, including news publishers1.

What we know, and what we don't

Both The Verge and TechCrunch reported that Meta removed the wording that triggered concerns over automated web scraping and artificial intelligence training12. The contested phrases no longer appear in the company's posted documentation1.

A Meta spokesperson insisted that the updated language did not alter how the company scans online sites2. The reporting leaves open how independent websites will monitor Meta's automated data gathering going forward.

Why it matters

The revision directly touches on the rights of online creators and newsrooms seeking to protect their written work from automated collection1.

The scraping policies determine how digital reporting is respected when large technology systems search for training data12.

For ordinary web users and publishers, the update reflects ongoing sensitivity around how personal work and intellectual property feed commercial artificial intelligence tools12.