UK watchdog investigates Meta's terms to scrape business websites
The CMA has opened a formal investigation into Meta's proposed terms that would let it scrape content from any business website linked to a Meta account.
What it means for you
Check what your Meta business account lets Meta use, and keep your own site and email list as the main route to customers.
What does the CMA investigation into Meta's commercial terms mean for my business?
Our take
On 30 October the Competition and Markets Authority opened a Competition Act investigation into whether Meta is imposing exploitative terms on publishers and advertisers. The proposed terms would let Meta scrape and use content from the website of any business with a Meta business account.
Meta has delayed the terms and says it won't bring them in until it has consulted publishers. The CMA is also looking, separately and not yet formally, at the trial that asks Facebook Pages to pay for Meta One to post links.
Nobody has found Meta did anything wrong yet. But it tells you which way the platform wants to go: more of your content inside Meta, fewer clicks out. Build the parts you own.
Do this this week
Read the Meta business terms notices in your Business Suite inbox and note the dates.
Check your robots.txt to see which AI crawlers you already allow or block.
Move one Facebook link post a week into an email to your list instead.
Rather we did it for you? See how we run digital PR for Shopify brands.