# Meta removes disputed AI training language from commercial terms

_Published Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 12:06 PM EDT · AI, Policy · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Image of the Meta logo and wordmark on a blue background bordered by black scribbles made out of the Meta logo. — Primary](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/STK043_VRG_Illo_N_Barclay_2_Meta.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.732984293194%2C100%2C78.534031413613&w=1200)

Meta removed language from its commercial terms that legal experts interpreted as granting permission to scrape websites for AI training, The Verge reported. The deleted provision allowed Meta to use content from specified domains, pages or URLs to develop and train its products.

The change follows criticism that the provision could supersede website owners' blocking instructions in robots.txt files. Meta says the terms applied to its advertising and business products, did not change its crawler practices and gave it no new rights to override those preferences.

## Sources

- [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/tech/1013409/meta-removes-language-that-may-have-allowed-it-to-scrape-news-sites)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/ECOke_rILLQuZusosFi9VM
Published: 2026-10-17T16:06:25.804Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-17T15:04:36.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-17T19:28:20.441Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)