Meta Revises Crawl Clause but Keeps Website Crawling Permission

Meta has updated the crawling language in its Commercial Terms ahead of their October 30, 2026 effective date. According to Search Engine Journal, the company removed the word training from the clause, but it still keeps permission to crawl websites connected to a business’s products or services.

The revised wording ties crawling to advertising and business products, and to the integrity and security of Meta’s products. The report says these terms apply to any business use of Meta’s products, which can include companies that run a Facebook Page even if they do not buy ads.

What changed

The earlier version said Meta could use collected content to provide, develop, improve, research, train, and maintain the integrity of its products, services, and features under the Commercial Terms. The new version removes training and now says crawling may be used to provide, develop, improve, research, and maintain advertising and business products, while also maintaining the integrity and security of Meta’s products.

Some parts did not change. Meta still says it may use automated software, create test credentials, and periodically retrieve website updates. Search Engine Journal also reported that the new language does not mention robots.txt, even though Meta told other outlets that robots.txt preferences are respected and that the update does not create new rights beyond those preferences.

What it means for your website

If your business uses Meta products, this matters because the clause still allows website crawling under Meta’s terms. The updated wording may narrow the stated purpose by removing training, but legal concerns remain in the source report about how broad terms like develop and business product may be, and whether the language tied to websites associated with your products or services could still cover large parts of a site.

For a business owner, the practical issue is control. The source says Meta points businesses to robots.txt to manage which areas of a site can be crawled. It also says Meta’s crawler documentation lists separate crawlers for AI training and for Meta AI search, which suggests a site may be able to allow one and block another through robots.txt. At the same time, the report says it remains unclear whether those settings fully limit what a business grants by accepting the terms.

What to do now

• Review whether your business uses Meta products in a way that could fall under the Commercial Terms, including managing a Facebook Page.
• Check the current wording of the relevant Meta terms before October 30, 2026, because the preview has already changed once.
• Review your robots.txt file and how it handles each Meta crawler, especially if you want different rules for AI training and AI search.
• Monitor whether the UK English and U.S. English versions of Meta’s terms continue to show different wording.
• Keep an eye on future clarification about whether robots.txt settings limit what a business grants when it accepts the terms.