Meta removes AI training clause from updated commercial terms of service

Meta has removed the word "train" from its updated commercial terms of service following public criticism from legal experts and industry observers. The revised policy, which is scheduled to take effect on October 30, was initially interpreted as granting the company broad permission to scrape data from websites linked to business pages to develop its artificial intelligence models.

The initial concern stemmed from the potential for Meta to bypass licensing agreements with news organizations and other publishers by claiming rights to data shared through business-linked web traffic. Observers noted that the original language could have effectively required commercial users to contribute their proprietary data to Meta’s AI training sets as a condition of maintaining a business presence on the platform.

Meta confirmed the amendment without issuing a formal notification to its user base regarding the change. The company acknowledged reports of the backlash, though it has provided limited detail on the specific scope of its data utilization practices moving forward. The updated terms remain set for implementation at the end of October, pending further scrutiny from industry stakeholders.