UK competition regulator opens investigation into Meta's commercial terms

What happened: The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened a formal investigation into Meta's commercial terms. It is checking whether Meta holds a dominant position in a relevant UK market and, if so, whether those terms abuse it.

The concern: The terms could let Meta collect content from business and publisher websites and use it for its own products and services, including AI features. Businesses would not be able to choose whether or how their content is used. The CMA says requiring news publishers and other content businesses to accept the terms could be an unlawful imposition of unfair trading conditions.

Who's affected: News publishers, other content businesses and advertisers. The CMA refers to thousands of UK businesses that rely on Meta's services.

The background: Meta originally planned to introduce the changes on 30 October, then delayed them to 20 November. On 28 October it paused the rollout pending consultation with industry groups. The investigation followed concerns raised by the News Media Association and Movement for an Open Web.

The catch: The CMA's powers under the digital markets regime are limited because Meta has not been designated with strategic market status.

In their words: Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said: "We've heard concerns from news publishers and other businesses and are acting swiftly to investigate."

The rivals: Meta's response is unconfirmed. Reuters-based coverage reports Meta said there were "no grounds" for an investigation, but the CMA's statement quotes no Meta response.

What's next: The CMA will gather and assess evidence, including from Meta and affected third parties. It has made no decision on whether Meta broke the law, and it will post updates on its case page. The Competition Act 1998 allows interim measures, but the CMA has not said whether it is considering them.

Source: CMA opens investigation into Meta's commercial terms, GOV.UK