Meta Commercial Terms update paused: nothing changes 20 Nov
Meta has paused its updates to the Commercial Terms, Product Catalogue Terms, Self-serve Ad Terms and Ad Creative Generative AI Terms, and they will not take effect on 20 November 2026. Meta says its existing terms remain in effect, its crawling practices are unchanged, and site owners can keep using robots.txt to signal their crawling preferences. It has given no new date.
| Platform | Meta Ads |
|---|---|
| Feature | Meta Commercial Terms |
| Announced | Not confirmed |
| Status | Availability not confirmed |
| Where available | The updates are paused and will not take effect on 20 November 2026. Existing terms remain in effect until further notice. Meta has given no new date. |
| Who is affected | Every business using Meta’s products for advertising or commerce, and site owners concerned about Meta crawling their websites. |
| Action needed | None. Optional: review your robots.txt if you want to control Meta’s crawling, and watch Meta’s notice for further updates. |
| Sources | Meta Business Help Centre: Updates to Meta's terms will not take effect on 20 November 2026 |
What changed
Meta’s notice in the Business Help Centre says the updates “are now paused and will not take effect on 20 November 2026.” It adds: “We are continuing to consult with stakeholders and will provide a further update when we have more to share. In the meantime, our existing terms remain in effect.”
The notice lists four sets of terms that “continue to remain in effect until further notice”: the Product Catalogue Terms, the Meta Commercial Terms, the Ad Creative Generative AI Terms and the Self-serve Ad Terms.
On crawling, it says: “our crawling practices remain unchanged and content owners can continue to signal their crawling preferences using robots.txt as described in our developer documentation.”
The update had drawn attention for a clause on crawling. The preview of the updated Commercial Terms, which we read on Meta’s site on 4 November before the pause, authorised Meta to use automated tools on domains associated with a business’s products or services to “provide, develop, improve, research and maintain” advertising and business products.
Why it matters
Advertisers who were preparing for 20 November have nothing to do now: the terms you accepted before stay as they are. Paused is not withdrawn, though. Meta has said it will share a further update, and the crawling clause could come back in the same or a different form.
Our view: treat this as a pause, not a resolution. If you object to Meta crawling your site, robots.txt is the control Meta itself points to, so it is worth setting your preference now rather than when new terms arrive.
What to do
- Nothing is required: your existing Meta terms continue to apply.
- If you want to limit Meta’s crawling of your website, review your robots.txt using Meta’s developer documentation on its crawlers.
- Check Meta’s notice before renewing agency or client agreements that reference Meta’s terms.
- Watch the notice for the further update Meta has promised.
Still unknown
Meta has not given a new date, said whether the crawling clause will return unchanged, or explained what the consultation covers. Its notice does not mention the regulatory complaints reported in some markets.
Frequently asked questions
Are Meta's new Commercial Terms taking effect on 20 November 2026?
No. Meta says the updates to its Commercial Terms, Product Catalogue Terms, Self-serve Ad Terms and Ad Creative Generative AI Terms are paused and will not take effect on 20 November 2026.
Which Meta terms apply now?
The existing ones. Meta says its existing terms remain in effect, and the four sets of terms continue to apply until further notice.
How do I stop Meta crawling my website?
Meta says its crawling practices remain unchanged and that content owners can signal their crawling preferences using robots.txt, as described in its developer documentation.
Official sources
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Update history
- — First coverage, from Meta’s notice in the Business Help Centre.
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