Norwegian media sue Meta over AI training

Major Norwegian media outlets have filed a lawsuit against Meta, seeking to block the tech giant from using their content to train artificial intelligence models. The media companies claim that Meta's new terms of use, set to take effect in November, would allow the company to collect and use their journalistic content, including behind paywalls, for AI development.

Terms threaten media rights

The media outlets argue that the new terms of use threaten their rights to their content and could allow Meta to use their investments to build AI services that compete directly with them. They say this would undermine fair competition and the value of their journalistic work.

Terms apply to all account holders

According to the complainants, the new terms of use would apply to all professional account holders, including media outlets, businesses, and shops. They claim that this leaves account holders with no choice but to either oppose the terms or delete their accounts.

Norwegian media seek court action

The media outlets have filed a request for a preliminary injunction with the Oslo court, asking it to block the implementation of the new terms until a final ruling is made. Among the complainants are major Norwegian media groups like NRK, Schibsted, Amedia, Polaris, Aller, and the news agency NTB.

Meta delays new terms

Meta has delayed the implementation of the new terms of use until November 20, stating it wants more time to explain the changes to its partners and stakeholders. The company has not commented on the lawsuit but has previously faced accusations from MBL and NRK of profiting from fraudulent ads that impersonated their brands.