Meta’s revised terms of use, which expand its web scraping permissions, have prompted a rare show of unity among publisher trade groups worldwide. The News/Media Alliance, representing over 2,000 publishers, and WAN-IFRA, with more than 20,000 members, have sent letters to Meta’s CEO demanding the withdrawal of the new terms before they take effect on 30 October. These groups argue that the changes would force publishers to let Meta use their content without permission or compensation, or risk losing access to Facebook’s audience.
The publishers claim Meta’s move could undermine the market for AI content licensing and allow the company to use journalism to develop competing products. The Center for Media and Digital Governance at the Open Markets Institute has called for regulators in the US, UK and EU to intervene before the deadline. Several European trade groups have also filed complaints with the European Commission.
Industry leaders say the timing of Meta’s recent AI licensing deals, alongside the new terms, raises questions about the future of paid content agreements. Unlike Google, which offers publishers some opt-out options, Meta has not committed to respecting publishers’ content controls. The outcome may shape future negotiations between platforms and content owners.
