Meta has paused its updated commercial terms for businesses and publishers indefinitely, pulling a package that included new Ad Creative Generative AI Terms days before it was due to take effect on November 20, 2026. Meta took down the preview of the terms on Thursday and confirmed the indefinite delay to Nieman Lab.
The pause covers four documents: the Meta Commercial Terms, Product Catalog Terms, Self-Serve Ad Terms and Ad Creative Generative AI Terms. In a Business Help Center update, Meta said the updates "will not take effect on November 20, 2026" and that its existing terms remain in effect while it continues to consult with stakeholders.
"We’re pausing the changes as we continue to engage with stakeholders and take our time to get this right," a Meta spokesperson said.
Key facts
- 01Meta paused its updated Commercial Terms, Product Catalog Terms, Self-Serve Ad Terms and Ad Creative Generative AI Terms on November 5, 2026.
- 02The terms were due to take effect on November 20, 2026; Meta says its existing terms remain in effect.
- 03The UK CMA opened a Competition Act 1998 investigation into the terms on October 30.
- 04Courts in Norway and Brazil issued preliminary injunctions against the terms.
- 05On October 16 Meta removed the word "train" and limited future scraped content to advertising and business products.
The proposed terms would have permitted Meta to scrape the websites of Meta Business account users. After the terms were first reported on October 15, Meta removed the word "train" on October 16 and limited the use of future scraped content to "advertising and business products."
Meta has already moved the timeline twice. The terms were originally set to take effect on October 30; on October 23 Meta pushed that date back three weeks to November 20. On October 28, Meta vice president of communications Andy Stone said on X that the company would not make policy changes without a full consultation with industry groups and leaders.
“We’ve heard publishers’ feedback on our proposed ads and business terms update.”— Andy Stone, Meta vice president of communications
Stone also said that if the consultation extended beyond November 20, Meta would delay implementation of the updated terms. Thursday's move turns that conditional delay into an open-ended pause.
Regulators have also moved. The UK Competition and Markets Authority opened an investigation under the Competition Act 1998 on October 30. The CMA said the terms could allow Meta to collect content from the websites of businesses and publishers that use its services and use it to develop its own products and services, including its AI features, without those businesses getting a choice. The CMA said it had heard concerns from the News Media Association and the Movement for an Open Web, and that no decision has been made.
“But where a company holds a dominant position, it must not use that position to impose unfair terms.”— Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA
Courts in Norway and Brazil issued preliminary injunctions against the terms. In the US, Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent letters to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the end of October asking him to withdraw them.
Meta said it will provide a further update when it has more to share. Until then, the existing terms govern how Meta handles content from businesses and publishers across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.
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