Estonian publishers urge EU to challenge Meta content terms

Meta’s new business terms could allow it to use news publishers’ online content without permission or payment, the Estonian Association of Media Enterprises has warned. The association is urging the European Commission to intervene before the terms are due to take effect on October 30, ERR reports.

Under the terms, business users, including news publishers, would have to allow Meta’s automated software to access their website content. Meta could collect, analyse, index, store, search and regularly update that material for use in its business, without seeking separate permission or paying for it.

Meta initially sought the right to use content to train artificial intelligence systems, but removed the word “training” after publishers protested. The association says the remaining terms are still broad and unclear enough to permit AI-related uses.

The association says Meta could use journalism to develop products and services that compete with publishers, without paying for the content. Media companies, community channels, small businesses and content creators therefore face a choice between allowing Meta to use their material and giving up an important way to reach audiences.

More than half of respondents in international surveys get daily news from social media, the association says. If journalism becomes less visible on those platforms, people’s access to reliable information could fall, increasing society’s vulnerability to misinformation and hostile propaganda.

Estonian publishers and their European counterparts are also concerned that Meta is using its strong market position to impose unfair terms and harm competition. Väino Koorberg, a board member of the association, called the move potentially “the largest content theft” and said the issue affects media companies worldwide.

News/Media Alliance, which represents nearly 2,000 US publishers, has written to Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg demanding that the terms be withdrawn. Four European publishers’ organisations have also appealed to the European Commission, asking its president and vice-presidents to use the measures available to it to counter the terms.

Koorberg said Meta is considered a “gatekeeper” under European Union rules because other companies’ visibility depends on its actions, and is therefore subject to stricter requirements.

Meta is also testing limits on sharing links on Facebook. Koorberg said users in the test can share only two links a month for free, with further sharing requiring payment. Publishers use Facebook to promote their stories and reach new readers, and the association says the restriction could significantly limit the platform’s value as a marketing channel.