UK CMA opens investigation into Meta's commercial terms

The UK Competition and Markets Authority opened a formal competition investigation into Meta's commercial terms on 30 October, covering whether the terms let Meta use publisher and business content, including for AI features. The CMA said it is investigating under the Competition Act 1998 whether Meta holds a dominant position in a relevant UK market and, if so, whether its commercial terms abuse that position.

The concern, according to the CMA's announcement on GOV.UK, is that the terms could let Meta collect content from business and publisher websites and use it for its own products and services, including AI features, without those businesses choosing if or how it is used.

Sarah Cardell, the CMA's chief executive, said: "We’ve heard concerns from news publishers and other businesses and are acting swiftly to investigate". The CMA also said that where a company holds a dominant position, it must not use that position to impose unfair terms.

The CMA said requiring news publishers and other content businesses to accept the terms could be an unlawful imposition of unfair trading conditions. It said the affected businesses include news publishers, other content businesses and advertisers, and that thousands of UK businesses rely on Meta's services.

Meta paused the rollout on 28 October pending consultation with industry groups. It had planned to introduce the changes on 30 October and then delayed implementation to 20 November, according to GOV.UK. The investigation was prompted by concerns from stakeholders including the News Media Association and Movement for an Open Web.

Meta's response has not been confirmed. Reuters-based coverage, published on Yahoo, reports that Meta said there were no grounds for an investigation. The GOV.UK page quotes no Meta statement.

Separately, the CMA is seeking information from Meta about its Meta One business subscription service and about concerns from the Federation of Small Businesses on posting external links on Facebook and Instagram without a subscription fee. No decision on formal action has been taken in that matter, which is outside the investigation. The CMA's powers under the digital markets regime are limited because Meta has not been designated with strategic market status.

The CMA said it will gather and assess evidence, including from Meta and affected third parties. No decision has been made on whether Meta broke the law. The Competition Act 1998 allows interim measures, but the CMA has not said whether it is considering them. Updates will be posted on the CMA case page.