The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has opened an investigation into Meta commercial terms that could let the company use publishers’ website content for its own products, including AI, without a choice on if or how that content is used. The probe, set out in an announcement on 30 October, follows concerns from news publishers and other businesses and comes after Meta paused a planned November rollout. It matters because the CMA says thousands of UK businesses rely on Meta’s services to reach customers and audiences.
Key Takeaways
- CMA opened a Competition Act probe into Meta’s terms on 30 October.
- Terms could let Meta use website content for AI without a choice.
- Meta paused a planned November rollout pending industry consultation.
- No finding yet that Meta has broken UK competition law.
What the CMA Will Test in Meta Commercial Terms
In the CMA’s announcement, the regulator said it will examine whether Meta is abusing a dominant position by imposing exploitative terms on publishers and advertisers. The terms could allow Meta to collect content from the websites of businesses and publishers that use its services, then use it to develop and provide its own products and services, including AI features, without those businesses getting a choice on if or how their content is used.
The CMA is using Competition Act 1998 powers after concerns from the News Media Association and Movement for an Open Web. It will assess whether Meta holds a dominant position in a relevant UK market and, if so, whether the terms amount to an abuse that may affect trade within the United Kingdom. The authority said requiring publishers and other content businesses to accept the terms could amount to an unlawful imposition of unfair trading conditions for thousands of UK businesses.
No decision has been made. The CMA will gather evidence from Meta and affected third parties, and it said no assumptions should be made about whether the law has been broken.
Why the November Rollout Is on Hold
Meta had planned to introduce the changes on 30 October. After active engagement with the CMA, it delayed implementation until 20 November. On 28 October it paused the rollout pending a consultation with industry groups.
| Milestone | What the CMA reported |
|---|---|
| Original plan | Introduce the revised terms on 30 October |
| After CMA engagement | Implementation delayed until 20 November |
| 28 October | Pause pending consultation with industry groups |
| Investigation | CA98 case opened; no finding of a breach |
What the CMA and Meta Have Said
Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said in the regulator’s announcement:
Digital platforms play an important role in helping UK businesses reach millions of customers around the world. But where a company holds a dominant position, it must not use that position to impose unfair terms.
We’ve heard concerns from news publishers and other businesses and are acting swiftly to investigate whether Meta’s proposed changes may breach competition law, using the most appropriate powers available to us to examine these issues in detail. We will be working to reach a swift and satisfactory resolution to this case.
A Meta spokesman said, in reports by the Evening Standard and The Independent: “There are no grounds for a competition investigation.” “We’ve already committed not to change our terms without consulting publishers and other stakeholders. We welcome the opportunity to explain our approach to the CMA.”
Meta One Sits Outside This Investigation
Separately, the CMA is seeking information on Meta’s Meta One business subscription and on Federation of Small Businesses concerns about posting external links on Facebook and Instagram without paying a subscription fee. No decision has been taken on formal action. The CMA said these issues fall outside the Competition Act investigation.
What the Probe Means for Publishers
For publishers, the stake is leverage over distribution. Businesses use Meta’s services to reach audiences, and the terms could allow the company to use website content in its own products, including AI features, without a choice. Whether that amounts to an unfair trading condition turns on a dominance finding the CMA has not made.
The route is Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998, an abuse-of-dominance test, not a copyright judgment. Opening the case does not settle the consultation Meta has promised publishers and other stakeholders. Meta has not been designated with strategic market status, so powers under the digital markets competition regime are limited. The next set of proposals is due to be considered by the CMA Board in spring 2027.
See also this site’s reporting on Meta’s delay of its business terms and on Norwegian publishers asking a court to halt the terms.
While evidence is gathered, three points are already clear:
- The revised terms are paused pending consultation.
- The CMA has made no finding that competition law was broken.
- Meta One and external-link fees sit outside this case.
