Meta surrenders: two courts kill its plan to scrape publishers for AI

Meta has indefinitely paused the commercial-terms update that would have let it scrape the websites of Meta Business account users, pulling the preview link down on Thursday and telling businesses the changes “will not take effect on November 20, 2026.” The company confirmed the delay to Nieman Lab, saying it is pausing the changes while it keeps talking to stakeholders.

The retreat followed injunctions in two countries: courts in Norway and Brazil blocked the terms after media organizations sued, and Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority opened a formal investigation into whether the terms abused Meta’s dominant position. In the United States, Senators Adam Schiff and Marsha Blackburn wrote to chief executive Mark Zuckerberg asking him to withdraw the update.

The terms were first reported on October 15 and were originally set to take effect on October 30, sparking a global outcry from publishers, politicians and trade groups. Meta had already trimmed the wording once — removing the word “train” — and pushed the date to November 20 before abandoning the rollout entirely; its existing terms stay in effect while it consults.