Meta updates commercial terms to require business accounts allow AI training on linked website content

Meta updated its commercial terms effective October 30, requiring business accounts to allow Meta to train AI on linked website content. The update removes the opt-out option, suggesting businesses stop using Meta services if they disagree. Legal experts warn the terms could override robots.txt instructions, potentially affecting news publishers who may face significant licensing fee losses. Meta's spokesperson stated the company has no plans to ignore robots.txt, but the new terms grant broad permissions for automated scraping and crawling of associated domains.