The News/Media Alliance (NMA) is calling on Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, to withdraw its planned new Commercial Terms of Use, warning that the changes could allow the technology giant to access and use publishers’ journalism without permission or compensation.
The proposed changes would authorize Meta to use automated web crawlers and other tools to collect content from websites associated with business accounts on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. According to the alliance, the provisions could extend beyond material posted directly on Meta platforms to include articles and other content published on news organizations’ websites.
In an October 22 letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, NMA demanded that the company withdraw the updated terms. Originally scheduled to take effect October 30, Meta has since postponed implementation by three weeks, to Friday, November 20.
NMA argues that publishers would effectively be required to permit this access or stop using Meta’s business services, potentially sacrificing access to substantial audiences and advertising opportunities.
The organization also raised concerns that posted content could be used to develop artificial intelligence and other commercial products that compete with news publishers for readers and advertising revenue.
“News publishers will be forced into providing their valuable journalism to support the development of products that may be used to compete with them for readers and advertisers, under duress and without compensation,” states the letter, which was signed by Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of NMA.
Although Meta revised its proposed language following criticism, removing an explicit reference to training AI models, the alliance maintains that the remaining provisions are excessively broad and lack meaningful protections.
Meta has stated that the changes apply to advertising and business products and are not intended to facilitate scraping news websites. However, NMA asserts that guarantee should be explicitly reflected in the revised terms.
The dispute highlights growing tensions between technology companies and news organizations over the ownership and commercial use of journalistic content, particularly as artificial intelligence developers increasingly rely on published material.
Citing a 2024 Columbia University working paper, the alliance noted an estimate that Meta owes U.S. publishers $1.9 billion annually for the value of their news content, before accounting for AI-related uses.
The organization warned that uncompensated use of journalism could undermine emerging content licensing markets and disproportionately affect smaller, independent and local news organizations.
NMA is requesting discussions with Meta to establish clear limitations on content collection, protections for paywalls and website restrictions, and mechanisms allowing publishers to affirmatively authorize content use. NMA also asserts that its members have not consented to the proposed provisions and reserve their legal rights should Meta implement them.
https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/letter-to-meta-demanding-withdrawal-of-new-terms-of-use/
