A new Meta policy is causing concern amongst news publishers. What risks does this pose to editorial content?

Several international and European news publishers’ organizations are calling on Meta to withdraw or suspend the implementation of provisions in its new commercial terms that would allow the automated collection of content from the websites of publications using the company’s services. The changes are set to take effect on October 30, 2026, and industry representatives warn that they could enable the use of journalistic content without publishers’ consent or compensation.

The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) sent an open letter on Thursday, October 22, to Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, Joel Kaplan, calling for the suspension of the disputed provision and the initiation of negotiations with media industry representatives.

According to the organization, the new commercial terms would authorize Meta to use automated tools to access and collect content from websites associated with business accounts on its platforms, including subsequent updates. This means that data collection would not be limited to content shared by newsrooms on Facebook or Instagram but could also extend to material published directly on news organizations’ websites.

The association warns that the provision could affect publications worldwide, including local and independent newsrooms, for which Meta’s platforms are important channels for distributing information and engaging with audiences.

In the United States, News/Media Alliance, an organization representing more than 2,000 newspaper, magazine, and digital publishers, has called on the company to withdraw the provision before October 30. In a letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the organization warns that publishers could be forced to make journalistic content available to the company without compensation, including for the development of products that could compete with those publications for readers and advertising revenue.

At the European level, the European Publishers Council (EPC) has warned of the risk that merely using a business account or having a link shared by a user could be interpreted as permission to collect and use editorial content. The organization maintains that publishers must be able to determine the conditions under which their content is used and negotiate appropriate compensation.

European publishers’ organizations have also called on the European Commission to intervene to prevent the implementation of the disputed provisions until their implications for competition and publishers’ rights have been examined. Similar requests have been submitted to the United Kingdom’s competition authority.

WAN-IFRA is therefore calling on Meta to suspend the application of the provision to news organizations, respect the technical mechanisms through which publishers restrict automated access to their content, and guarantee that journalistic materials will not be used to develop artificial intelligence systems without licensing agreements. The organization also demands that publishers be able to opt out of content collection without losing access to the company’s business tools.

WHAT META SAYS ABOUT THE DISPUTED PROVISIONS

Meta rejects the criticism. The company maintains that the new commercial terms do not change how information is automatically collected from websites. According to a statement provided to Reuters, the provisions concern the company’s advertising and business products, not the collection of content from news websites. Meta states that website administrators can restrict access by automated tools through robots.txt files.

Following the criticism, the company removed the explicit reference to training artificial intelligence systems from the original wording. Nevertheless, WAN-IFRA maintains that the changes do not eliminate the risks for publishers and that Meta’s assurances regarding compliance with restrictions set through robots.txt are not explicitly included in the contractual terms.

The controversy comes amid ongoing debates over the use of journalistic content by technology companies, including for the development of artificial intelligence systems, and the conditions under which publishers can protect their rights to published materials.