Publishers challenge Meta’s terms as UK inquiry opens
Updated: 1 day ago
Photo: LPS.1/Wikimedia Commons.
Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority opened an investigation on October 30 into whether Meta’s proposed commercial terms could impose unfair conditions on publishers and other businesses using its platforms. The regulator says the changes could permit use of content from their websites, including for AI features, without meaningful choice. It has made no finding of illegality.
Two days earlier, Norwegian media companies ranging from NRK to Hordaland Folkeblad obtained an interim order from the Oslo District Court blocking implementation while the legality of the changes is determined, according to the Norwegian Media Businesses’ Association.
What publishers object to
The proposed terms address content on websites associated with business accounts on Meta’s services. In an October 22 letter to Mark Zuckerberg, the News/Media Alliance argued that Meta was using its market position to obtain publishers’ content without permission or compensation, threatening the market for licensing journalism to AI companies. Those claims remain contested.
Meta describes the changes as a consolidation of business and advertising terms. In a statement reported by Digiday, it said its crawling practices were unchanged and owners could still use robots.txt to signal their preferences. Meta had removed the word “train” from the proposed language; publishers said that left their broader concerns unresolved.
On October 28, Meta communications executive Andy Stone promised consultation before implementation, even if talks extended beyond the announced November 20 date. Existing terms would remain in force.
Reading the next draft
A robots.txt instruction communicates a site owner’s preferences. Publishers are seeking an agreement that specifies what Meta must honor, which uses they can refuse and whether refusal would affect their access to audiences on its platforms.
The UK inquiry and Norwegian interim order leave the legal questions open. Meta’s next draft will give publishers something concrete to compare with the assurances made while the rollout is on hold.