If you run a Facebook page for your business, post on Instagram as a brand, sell products or run ads, you have agreed to Meta's Commercial Terms. Most owners never read them. This update is worth a few minutes, because it touches two things you care about: your website and anything Meta's AI writes for you.
Everything below comes straight from Meta's own pages: the current Commercial Terms and the preview of the updated terms. Where news reports say more than Meta's text does, we have left it out.
Who these terms apply to
Meta says the Commercial Terms apply to anyone using its products for business or commercial purposes. It names advertising, selling products and managing Pages for a business. So a small business with a Facebook page and no ad budget is still covered.
What changes for your website
The updated terms let Meta use automated software, which they describe as web scrapers, bots, robots, spiders, crawlers and user agents, to access the domains associated with your business and to periodically pull updates from them.
They also let Meta create test credentials, in other words test logins, to access, index, cache, analyze, collect, retrieve or crawl those web properties.
In plain terms: the website you have linked to your Facebook page or Instagram account is a website Meta's software may visit and re-check from time to time, including with test logins Meta creates itself.
What changes for Meta's AI features
The updated terms have a section on AI features. Meta writes that "AI features may make mistakes" and may not always produce accurate, complete or suitable results. It then says the business is "solely responsible for and assume[s] any and all risks" associated with that AI generated content.
That matters if you use Meta's AI to help write ad text or to reply to people. If the AI gets a price, a promise or a detail about your business wrong, the terms put that on you, not on Meta.
The simple rule: treat anything Meta's AI writes for your business as a first draft. A person who knows the business reads it before it goes out.
What if you do not agree?
The terms give one alternative. A business that does not agree to the updates may stop all access to or use of Meta's products for business or commercial purposes. There is no partial opt out described in the text.
Two things to do before November 20
Open your Facebook page and Instagram business profile and check which website address is listed. That is the site the terms cover, so make sure it is the one you actually want connected to your business on Meta.
If you use AI written ad text or AI replies, decide who checks them before they go live. Under the new terms, mistakes in that content are your responsibility.
Neither step needs a lawyer or a new tool. They are habits. If you want the full wording, read Meta's own pages linked above, because the terms are the final word, not any summary of them, including this one.
Common Questions
When do Meta's new business terms start?
Meta's Commercial Terms page says the updated terms go into effect on November 20, 2026.
Do Meta's Commercial Terms apply to a small business page?
Yes. Meta says the terms apply to anyone using its products for business or commercial purposes, including advertising, selling products and managing Pages for a business.
Can Meta visit my business website under the new terms?
The updated terms let Meta use automated software such as crawlers and bots to access domains associated with your business and periodically pull updates from them. They also let Meta create test credentials to access, index, analyze and crawl those web properties.
Who is responsible if Meta's AI writes something wrong for my business?
The updated terms say AI features may make mistakes and that the business is solely responsible for, and assumes all risks from, that AI generated content. In practice, a person should check AI written ad text or replies before they go out.
What if I do not agree to Meta's new terms?
The terms say a business that does not agree may stop all access to or use of Meta's products for business or commercial purposes.
Key Takeaways
- Meta's updated Commercial Terms go into effect on November 20, 2026.
- They cover any business use of Meta, including simply managing a business Page.
- Meta's software may visit and re-check the website linked to your business, including with test logins Meta creates.
- Mistakes in content from Meta's AI features are the business's responsibility, so a person should check it first.
- The only alternative the terms offer is to stop using Meta for business.