The World Association of News Editors (WAN-IFRA) asked Meta to suspend, until October 30, a clause that would allow us to track and collect journalistic content from media sites, warning about the risks to journalism.
© Lusa
23/10/2026
by
Lusa
A The World Association of News Editors (WAN-IFRA) sent a letter to the Meta, in which it asked for the suspension, until 30 October, of the clause that would allow to track and collect journalistic content from media sites.
In a letter addressed to Meta's Director of Global Affairs, Joel Kaplan, the association defended the suspension of the clause and claimed assurances that the journalistic content will not be used for commercial purposes without the authorisation of its holders.
The provision in question, according to WAN-IFRA, allows Meta to track and collect content from news sites as a condition for the commercial use of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.
The new conditions allow the company to use automated tools and test credentials to access the ‘sites’ associated with companies using the services, as well as to continue to collect updates, the association indicated.
WAN-IFRA, which represents more than 20,000 media brands in 120 countries, warned that the measure could affect journalistic content worldwide, as virtually all media organizations have a Facebook page, a business profile, or an advertising account on Meta platforms.
The association stated that Meta withdrew an explicit reference to Artificial Intelligence training (IA), after criticism of the clause, but considered that the new wording continues to allow the use of content in the development of commercial products, including generative AI services.
Among the requirements presented, the WAN-IFRA has asked Meta to stop creating test credentials to access media websites and undertake not to circumvent payments or other mechanisms used to restrict access to content.
“ Journalism is not a raw material that should be collected as a condition to be present on a platform,” said the president of the association, Ladina Heimgartner, quoted in a statement.
The letter also expressed concern about Meta One, the new technology subscription service.
According to WAN-IFRA, the company is testing and progressively extending restrictions that oblige Facebook pages to pay to publish more than two monthly ‘links’ to its own websites, while it intends to access the same content free of charge.
The association added that Meta did not disclose the criteria applied or the markets covered by these restrictions.
In this regard, it asked the company to undertake in writing to ensure a permanent exemption for news organisations of all sizes and to provide free verification and protection mechanisms against identity usurpation.