Meta Likely to Delay New Terms of Service Again

TVS News AI redaktionell betreut präsentiert Meta verschiebt neue Geschäftsbedingungen wohl erneut.

Meta has likely postponed the introduction of new terms of service for Facebook and Instagram by several more months. As announced, the new start date could be after November 20, according to Andy Stone, the company’s communications chief.

Meta is responding to publishers’ resistance. Their concern: The initially drafted terms appeared to give Meta blanket permission to use content from news pages for AI model training. The company subsequently amended the terms and removed language referring to “training.” Nevertheless, the dispute continues.

For you as someone affected, this mainly means a small reprieve: The disputed regulation will not initially take effect on October 30. According to the report, a final decision on the exact new date is still pending.

Why Meta Is Not Activating the New Rules Yet

The planned launch on October 30 drew criticism from the publishing industry. According to The Verge, the new terms initially appeared to allow Meta to train its AI products with content from news pages that distribute their articles through Facebook and Instagram.

Meta had already responded to this criticism by removing language that would have allowed the company to “train” using such content. However, that did not fully resolve the original conflict. The further delay shows that Meta is taking additional concerns seriously.

What Andy Stone Is Promising

Communications chief Andy Stone said in a post on X that Meta does not intend to make policy changes without fully consulting the affected industry groups and publishing representatives.

“We are not planning any policy changes without fully consulting the industry and its leadership.”

This makes two things clear: A delay is likely, and the final design should not be decided unilaterally without consulting publishers. How long the consultations will take and exactly when the terms will enter into force remain open questions.

What the Delay Means for Publishers

For publishers, the core of the conflict remains: They want to be able to decide themselves whether and how their content is used for AI training. The delay gives them more time, but it does not automatically take the implementation out of Meta’s hands.

For publishing decision-makers, this means: October 30 is no longer the launch date, while November 20 is currently primarily a new benchmark. Anyone who wants to negotiate their terms with Meta or prepare platform agreements now should expect a launch after that date. Andy’s post does not provide a firm commitment to a final date.

The Most Important Open Question

What will matter most is the exact wording of the revised terms. According to The Verge, the previous correction—removing the language referring to “training”—eliminated the immediate cause of the initial criticism. Based on the available information, there is no proof that this addresses all concerns.

In short: Meta is granting a postponement and promising full consultation. The new launch date is likely after November 20, but an exact day and the final rules are still pending.