Did you receive an email from Meta about its new terms of service going into effect on January 1, 2025? If you have yet to read it—don’t worry—we are summing up exactly what you need to know about Meta’s new terms of service.
First and foremost, let’s remember that Meta, formerly Facebook, is the conglomerate that owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads and more.
Updated terms clarify specific language
Anyone using these digital platforms allows Meta to use, repurpose and reuse their content without prior consent and compensation. But what exactly does that mean? More specifically, by using Facebook, posting on Instagram or writing on Threads, you are granting Meta an open license to use any of your content however they want.
Meta’s updated terms of service state, “These terms therefore constitute an agreement between you and Meta Platforms, Inc. If you do not agree to these terms, then do not access or use Facebook or the other products and services covered by these terms.”
Additional explanations around misuse of Meta’s apps and data scraping
This update also explains the misuse of Meta’s apps and the scraping of data from them. In other words, you cannot log into Facebook and use it as an excuse for collecting data.
“You may not access or collect data from our products using automated means (without our prior permission) or attempt to access data you do not have permission to access, regardless of whether such automated access or collection is undertaken while logged in to a Facebook account.”
Qualifiers on Avatar and AI use
What you need to know about Meta’s new terms of service continues with specific qualifiers on Avatar and AI use based on separate agreements for each.
“If you use Avatar, then the Avatar Terms also apply. If you use our AI products and features, the Meta AI Terms also apply. To the extent any supplemental terms conflict with these terms, the supplemental terms shall govern to the extent of the conflict.”
These terms cover the use of your personal data inputs for these elements. For example, videos for avatar creation or sharing your conversations with Meta’s AI tools with third parties.
In a “nutt” shell
On its community standards, Meta is not actually updating its document, but merging its community standards that cover Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and Threads into one central location. Overall, what you need to know about Meta’s new terms of service is not new but is more explicitly explained.
McNutt & Partners is a full-service advertising and digital marketing agency. Contact us today for your marketing needs! Call 334.521.1010 or visit our contact page.
