UK probes Meta over 'exploitative' new terms for media as global pushback mounts

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has initiated an investigation into whether Meta is imposing exploitative terms on media organisations, allowing the tech giant to use publishers' content for its own products and AI development without providing adequate choice. The probe examines if the new terms unfairly harm news publishers and content businesses.

The CMA stated that the new terms, planned to be introduced on November 20, could be considered an abuse of Meta's dominant market position. Meta's terms could grant it access to and use of content from news publishers' websites to develop its own products, including AI features. A Meta spokesperson affirmed their commitment not to change terms without consulting publishers and stakeholders, welcoming the opportunity to explain their approach to the CMA.

UK businesses, relying on Meta for customer reach, could face regulatory breaches if the new terms are deemed unfair. This follows actions from European countries and globally, with over 340 news sites blocking internet archive crawler bots to prevent data collection for AI training. A Norwegian court temporarily banned Meta from enforcing new user terms, while France's appeals court rejected Meta's attempt to overturn an order to negotiate with French media over rights payments.

The Paris Appeals Court found Meta's conduct caused serious and immediate harm to the press sector, affirming the anti-monopoly body's position. The regulator ordered Meta to negotiate in good faith with French media on neighbouring rights payments, noting it continued to use media content without making payments since their deals lapsed.

Meta faces additional battles over new user terms and claims of harms against children, with a US court hearing later this month alongside Snap.