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Meta removes language that raised scraping and AI training concerns

A Meta spokesperson said the updated terms do not reflect a change in how the company crawls the web; the sentence is just gone.

On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on The Weekend Shift
Published 5:45 PM ET, Saturday, October 17, 2026

Photo: InvadingInvader · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

▶ As it aired · Tech

Watch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from The Weekend Shift at 5:45 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are TechCrunch's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Meta Platforms — Photo: InvadingInvader · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

First reported by TechCrunch: “Meta removes language that raised scraping and AI training concerns”.
Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 5:45 PM ET on The Weekend Shift, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.
Topics: Meta, AI.
BBN covered this story before: Christmas movie slate lands early; Greenport oysters, fashion's AI… (October 17).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

TechCrunchMeta removes language that raised scraping and AI training concerns

What BBN said about it

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentMeta removed language from its terms that raised scraping and AI training concerns, and a spokesperson insists the update does not reflect a change in how Meta crawls the web.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the terms changed, the crawler didn't. Online, we call that editing the post and keeping the screenshot.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThink it through.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentIf nothing changed, the deleted sentence was accurate. The only thing Meta fixed was the description.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentConfession by deletion.

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