Facebook owner Meta has been compelled to delay its planned changes to terms and conditions, following a legal setback in Norway. The Silicon Valley company's move comes after a court ruling that could impact its ability to 'scrape' content from British publishers, a practice that critics fear would allow Meta to acquire material for free, potentially to train artificial intelligence models.
The company has indicated that the introduction of its new terms, initially planned for November 20, is now likely to be postponed further. This decision follows a hearing in Oslo District Court, where publishers argued that Meta's proposed changes would grant the company the right to collect all content, including that behind paywalls, without consent.
Lawmakers and advocacy groups have accused Meta of exploiting its dominant market position, with similar concerns voiced in Europe and the United States. Lord Clement-Jones, speaking in a parliamentary debate, suggested that Meta's terms could allow the company to bypass publisher paywalls and security measures.
Mets' platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, could see new terms that potentially permit the 'scraping' of content from any UK publisher utilizing these services. This includes content from publishers' own websites, not just material shared directly on Meta's platforms.
Meanwhile, an audit by the Daily Mail revealed that Meta's own terms of service prohibit users from engaging in 'Automated Data Collection' without prior permission from the company. Theo Bamber, head of the News Media Association, which represents many UK publishers, criticized this as 'breathtaking hypocrisy'.
Meta has stated that the proposed changes are not intended for AI training or to scrape news websites. However, the recent court ruling in Norway and ongoing concerns from publishers suggest that Meta will face continued scrutiny over its content acquisition strategies.