The UK Competition and Markets Authority has opened an investigation into Meta’s commercial terms for collecting and using content from publishers and other businesses.
The regulator is examining whether Meta may be abusing a dominant position by imposing terms that allow it to collect or use material from business websites without a meaningful choice, including for artificial-intelligence products and services. The inquiry is being conducted under the Chapter II prohibition in the Competition Act 1998, which addresses abuse of dominance.
Meta has paused the rollout of the terms while the investigation proceeds. The opening of the case is not a finding that the company has broken competition law, and the CMA said it has not reached a conclusion. The inquiry will test the scope of Meta’s proposed rights and the options available to publishers and businesses. The CMA announcement describes the investigation and its present limits.
