Meta delays business terms after publishers flag AI scraping risk

Meta has moved the start date for revised terms governing business users of Facebook, Instagram, and its other services from October 30 to November 20. Publishers objected because the terms would authorize automated tools to crawl websites connected to a business account—potentially including a news publisher’s own site—and collect material from them. Meta says the update is meant to clarify how its web crawlers work, not expand its practices, and says site owners can signal their preferences through standard website controls. But the dispute is bigger than a three-week delay: publishers worry that joining a platform needed for audience and advertising could also require them to grant broad access to the content that supports their business.