Meta drops the word "train" from its commercial TOS after AI backlash (arstechnica.com)

Meta has removed the term "train" from its upcoming commercial terms of service, which are set to take effect on October 30, in response to significant backlash regarding its implications for data scraping. Legal experts had raised concerns that Meta's original terms appeared to grant the company broad permissions to endlessly scrape content from business-linked websites, potentially allowing it to avoid substantial licensing fees owed to news organizations. This change was made in an effort to address these criticisms and clarify the company’s policies regarding the use of web crawlers. Despite the update, experts remain skeptical about Meta's commitment to protecting content creators. The ambiguity surrounding the terms continues to fuel unease, as it does not fully assuage fears that the new policies could still lead to invasive data scraping practices. Meta has stated that these changes do not alter how it uses web crawlers, emphasizing that content owners retain control over their preferences through tools like robots.txt. However, many legal professionals argue that the updates fall short of adequately safeguarding business page users, raising ongoing concerns about the balance between AI development and intellectual property rights.