Meta Delays Business Terms Update After Copyright Objections
Meta has put its planned update to business terms on hold, and the timing is now uncertain. Reuters reported on October 28, 2026 that Meta had delayed the rollout indefinitely after complaints from publishers. Meta said the same day that the November 20 start date could be pushed back again while it consults industry groups and leaders.
The update covers commercial accounts, the profiles that businesses use to run pages, shops and advertising across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads and WhatsApp. Terms of service are the rules people agree to when they use a platform. Meta first moved the start date from October 30 to November 20, which it said was to address publishers' concerns. A U.S. senator also said the planned change could harm American businesses, according to Reuters.
The loudest objection has come from the Copyright Alliance, a group whose members include the Recording Industry Association of America, the National Music Publishers' Association and Universal Music Group. In a statement issued on October 27, the group said Meta's changes appear to allow the company to scrape, meaning automatically collect, websites and other content from commercial account holders. The material could then be used for business products, including to train AI systems, which means teaching them from existing material, and to ground them, which means tying their answers to real source content.
The group also said business partners would have no way to opt out under the proposed terms. Opting out is the option to say no. It called the proposals "unconscionable", a legal-sounding word for terms so one-sided they are considered unfair. The Copyright Alliance is led by its chief executive, Keith Kupferschmid, and it published a press release on the issue titled "Meta's Proposed Commercial TOS Updates" on October 28.
Music Business Worldwide reported the Copyright Alliance's position on October 30, noting that the group's members include the RIAA, the NMPA and UMG. That report also carried Meta's statement that the November 20 date could move again.
For the millions of small shops, creators and artists who use these apps to promote their work, the practical question is what they would agree to and when. For now, the answer depends on how the consultation goes, and Meta has not announced a new date.
