Meta Platforms is facing fresh regulatory scrutiny in Europe after a coalition of digital publishers and advertisers urged competition authorities in the European Union and Britain to block changes to the company’s commercial terms, citing concerns over the potential use of online content for artificial intelligence.
The Movement for an Open Web, an advocacy organization representing publishers and digital advertising businesses, has asked the European Commission and Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to intervene before the revised terms take effect on Oct. 30, according to Reuters.
The group argues that the changes could allow Meta to collect and use material from third-party websites to develop AI products without obtaining separate authorization from content owners. It also contends that businesses dependent on Meta’s platforms may have limited ability to reject the conditions.
The dispute adds to growing tensions between technology companies developing generative AI systems and publishers seeking greater control over how their intellectual property is accessed and used.
Publishers Seek Immediate Regulatory Action
The Movement for an Open Web has requested temporary restrictions on Meta’s proposed terms while competition authorities examine their potential effects, Reuters reported.
Tim Cowen, a co-founder of the organization, said the company’s substantial influence over digital markets could leave businesses with little practical choice but to accept contractual provisions they consider unfavorable.
According to Cowen, the concern extends beyond the collection of website information. Publishers and advertisers fear that content obtained through Meta’s services could eventually support AI products competing directly with the businesses that produced the material.
Such an outcome, the group argues, could strengthen Meta’s position in emerging AI markets while weakening the commercial value of independently produced digital content.
The allegations have not been established as violations of competition law.
Meta Rejects Claims of Expanded Data Rights
Meta disputed the organization’s interpretation of its updated terms, saying the revisions concern its advertising and business services rather than a broader expansion of its authority to collect website content.
A company spokesperson told Reuters that Meta had consolidated existing provisions and clarified their application without changing how its web-crawling technology operates.
Meta also maintained that website operators can continue using robots.txt, a technical mechanism through which publishers communicate instructions to automated web crawlers.
Read more: Meta Hit With $25 Billion Penalty Over Facebook Privacy Claims
The company said the contractual changes do not override those preferences or grant additional authority to collect news content.
The disagreement highlights a central question in the dispute: whether Meta’s revised contractual language materially changes its ability to access and reuse third-party information, or simply reorganizes existing commercial conditions.
UK Watchdog Opens Urgent Discussions
British competition officials have already engaged directly with Meta over the proposed changes.
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The CMA confirmed that it met with company representatives on Wednesday to seek further information about the revised business terms, according to Reuters.
The regulator acknowledged concerns raised by British businesses and said it was holding urgent discussions with Meta while evaluating possible responses.
The European Commission had not immediately provided a response to Reuters’ request for comment.
For regulators to impose emergency competition measures, complainants generally must demonstrate a risk of serious and irreparable harm arising from the alleged conduct.
That requirement presents a significant hurdle for the publishers’ coalition, which is seeking intervention before the contractual changes become effective.
Broader Conflict Over AI and Copyright
The latest complaint follows objections from several established European publishing organizations.
The European Publishers Council raised concerns about Meta’s proposed terms last week, while Germany’s Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers Association and the Association of the Free Press voiced similar objections earlier this week, Reuters reported.
The controversy reflects a broader commercial and legal struggle over the information used to build AI systems.
Publishers have increasingly challenged technology companies over the collection of articles, images and other proprietary material for AI development, arguing that such uses can undermine licensing arrangements and existing revenue models.
Technology companies, meanwhile, have defended various approaches to accessing publicly available information, including arguments based on lawful use and existing technical controls.
The conflict has become especially important as AI-generated answers and automated content services create new ways for users to obtain information without necessarily visiting the original publisher’s website.
For Meta, the dispute also comes amid wider European scrutiny of major technology companies and their competitive practices.
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