Meta drops the word "train" from its commercial TOS after AI backlash
· Source: Ars Technica AI
Meta has decided to remove the word “train” from its new commercial terms of service, which will take effect on October 30, after a strong backlash from the community and legal experts. The controversy began when the original wording appeared to allow the company to collect unlimited data from websites linked to business pages, a practice that analysts say could let Meta bypass licensing fees to news organizations by forcing commercial users to surrender large volumes of information for the development of its AI systems.
Under pressure, a Meta spokesperson confirmed that the company had not notified users of the change and, while acknowledging the initial Nieman Lab report, did not respond to follow‑up inquiries that reiterated expert concerns. Removing the term aims to reduce confusion and mitigate the perception that the firm intends to use third‑party data without compensation.
This story is significant because it illustrates how major tech platforms adjust their policies in response to public scrutiny and debates over data ownership used to train AI models—a topic that affects both content creators and business users.
Read the original article on Ars Technica AI
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