After protests from publishers and court rulings in Norway and Brazil, Meta puts its plan to crawl business websites on ice

Meta has suspended indefinitely its new commercial terms, which were due to take effect on 20 November. Nieman Lab and The Next Web reported this, based on a Reuters report. The pause covers four documents, including the terms for self-serve advertising and for generative AI in ads. A spokesperson said Meta is continuing talks with the parties involved and wants to take the time to get it right.

The terms would have allowed Meta to automatically crawl the websites of businesses with a Meta business account, including news sites. Lawyers feared the content could then be used to train AI. In mid-October Meta struck the word train from the text and limited use to advertising and business products. The company says the change merely consolidates existing rules and that sites can still block its crawler.

Opposition came from several directions. In Norway, the association of media companies, whose members include Schibsted, NRK and TV2, went to the Oslo District Court, which ruled that the terms may not take effect before a court has reviewed them, Press Gazette reports. A court in Brazil also blocked the rules for now. The UK competition watchdog opened an investigation and the European Commission is examining a complaint from publishers. It is not known when Meta will return with the changes.