Meta puts controversial web scraping policy changes on hold indefinitely

Meta has paused indefinitely the changes to its Meta Commercial Terms, Product Catalog Terms, Self-Serve Ad Terms, and Ad Creative Generative AI Terms that would have allowed web scrapers to collect material from websites tied to Meta business accounts, including news organizations. The changes were originally set for Oct. 30, delayed to Nov. 20, and now will not take effect on Nov. 20, 2026, with Meta stating, "We are continuing to consult with stakeholders and will provide a further update when we have more to share." The reversal follows objections from news organizations and court action in Brazil blocking Meta from using journalistic content without authorization.

Meta puts controversial web scraping policy changes on hold indefinitely Alex Perry https://mashable.com/author/aperry yelix.bsky.social http://yelix.bsky.social . Read Full Bio https://mashable.com/author/aperry Meta https://mashable.com/category/meta was all set to make a controversial change to its terms of service back in October, but after a delay into November, the changes have been pushed aside indefinitely. Mark Zuckerberg's company published a quick update https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2481113349080785 spotted by Nieman Lab https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/11/meta-pulls-down-controversial-terms-of-service/ confirming that previously announced changes to its Meta Commercial Terms, Product Catalog Terms, Self-Serve Ad Terms, and Ad Creative Generative AI Terms would not take effect on Nov. 20 as initially planned. These changes, which Nieman Lab https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/metas-new-commercial-terms-will-allow-the-scraping-of-news-sites-legal-experts-say/ originally reported on in October, would have allowed the use of web scrapers to collect material from websites associated with Meta business accounts, including those of journalistic organizations. Originally, these changes were set to go into effect on Oct. 30, before controversy prompted Meta to delay to Nov. 20. Now, Meta has confirmed that the changes will be delayed indefinitely. Terms of Use https://www.ziffdavis.com/terms-of-use and Privacy Policy https://www.ziffdavis.com/ztg-privacy-policy . You May Also Like "These updates are now paused and will not take effect on Nov. 20, 2026," Meta's statement read. "We are continuing to consult with stakeholders and will provide a further update when we have more to share. In the meantime, our existing terms remain in effect." This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. https://twitter.com/andymstone/status/2115470598809735602 When these changes were first announced, news organizations were perhaps understandably unhappy about their content being taken in that manner. Additionally, courts in Brazil https://www.anj.org.br/justica-proibe-meta-de-usar-conteudo-jornalistico-sem-autorizacao-apos-acao-de-anj-abert-e-aner/ took action to prevent that from happening. At the end of October, Meta executive Andy Stone https://x.com/andymstone/status/2115470598809735602?s=20 took to X to say that the company is "committed to getting this right," but evidently that commitment means the changes cannot go into effect anytime soon. Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter https://mashable.com/newsletters or get Mashable push alerts https://mashable.com/life/how-to-set-up-mashable-push-notifications today. Topics Meta https://mashable.com/category/meta Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social http://yelix.bsky.social .