UK watchdog CMA investigates Meta commercial terms over publisher content

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a formal investigation into Meta’s commercial terms on 30 October 2026. It will test whether Meta abuses a dominant position by forcing publishers and advertisers to accept unfair conditions. The probe runs under the Competition Act 1998, which bans that kind of abuse.

Meta’s terms would let it take content from business websites

The CMA press release says the new terms could let Meta collect content from the websites of firms that use its services. Meta could then use that content to build its own products, including AI features. Businesses would get no choice about it. We explained earlier how the terms let Meta crawl business websites.

Meta first planned the change for 30 October. After talks with the CMA it moved the date to 20 November. On 28 October it paused the roll-out until it consults industry groups. The CMA said the complaints came from groups such as the News Media Association and Movement for an Open Web. Those groups had asked regulators in London and Brussels to step in.

Sarah Cardell promises a fast case

CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said a company with a dominant position “must not use that position to impose unfair terms”. The watchdog stressed that it has not yet decided whether Meta broke the law. It will now collect evidence from Meta and from affected firms. The law also lets it order temporary measures if it needs to prevent serious harm.

Press Gazette reported that publishers in Norway have already won a court order. It stops Meta from bringing in the terms there until a court reviews them. Some small publishers in Norway and the US have left Meta’s platforms in protest.

The CMA also asks about Meta One link fees

In a separate step, the CMA is asking Meta for information about Meta One, a paid business subscription. The Federation of Small Businesses complained about a trial that would make Facebook and Instagram pages pay to post external links. This is not part of the formal investigation yet.

Meta has not been given strategic market status, the label that unlocks the CMA’s faster digital powers. The CMA board will look at the next candidates in spring 2027. The question for publishers is whether Meta is on that list when the board meets.