UK's CMA opens investigation into Meta's terms for publishers and advertisers
META•Britain's competition regulator opened an investigation into whether Meta imposed exploitative terms on publishers and advertisers, including over content used to develop its AI features. The CMA said the terms could amount to unlawful unfair trading conditions; Meta said there were “no grounds” for an investigation.
1. CMA opens probe
The CMA said it is investigating whether Meta's commercial terms allow it to collect content from publishers' websites and use it to develop and provide its products and services without businesses choosing if or how their content is used. The investigation will determine whether Meta holds a dominant position in a relevant UK market and, if so, whether the terms amount to abuse of that position.
2. Meta responds
The CMA said Meta planned to revise the terms on November 20 but has since put the plan on hold. Meta said there were “no grounds” for an investigation and that it had committed not to change its terms without consulting publishers and other stakeholders. A spokesperson said Meta welcomed the opportunity to explain its approach to the CMA.
