Between 'Meta' and 'Google': Tech companies compete for publishers' AI content

Meta announced it is postponing the implementation of its new commercial terms until November 20, 2026, following complaints from publishers and advertisers to competition authorities in the European Union and the United Kingdom, who fear their content will be used for AI without consent. Meta denies the allegations, while Google is expanding paid agreements to license news content.

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, announced on Friday, October 23, that it is postponing the implementation of its new commercial terms and self-service advertising terms from October 30 to November 20, 2026, to allow more time to clarify the changes to partners and stakeholders. The decision followed complaints filed by publishers and digital advertisers to competition authorities in the European Union and the United Kingdom, demanding intervention to stop the new terms, which they believe could allow the company to use content from their websites and archives for AI services without separate approvals. Meta rejects these allegations, asserting that the amendments do not grant it new rights beyond website owners' preferences regarding data collection tools' access to their content, and that it does not aim to collect news material for training AI models. The company stated it will provide more information on how its software collects website content, while emphasizing that content owners will continue to be able to set their preferences regarding allowing these tools access to their content. In contrast, Google is moving to expand paid agreements for licensing news content.