THE CRUNCH
Meta may delay the rollout of its updated business terms yet again, with enforcement possibly pushed back indefinitely. The terms were originally due to take effect on 30 October, then slipped to 20 November after publishers objected. Meta communications head Andy Stone said on X that the company does "not plan to make policy changes without a full consultation with industry groups and leaders," and that if that consultation runs past 20 November, implementation would be delayed. Until then, Meta's existing terms remain in place.
The concern centres on AI training. As first written, the terms appeared to give Meta permission to train its AI models on content from news sites that use Facebook and Instagram. Meta later removed language saying it could "train" its products on scraped content, but legal experts told Nieman Lab that the revision still does not rule out that possibility.
The backlash has reached beyond publishers. The News/Media Alliance has pushed back, and lawmakers from both parties have weighed in: Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, accused Meta of "attempting to exploit American creators and businesses," while Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California urged the company to reverse the change.