According to PPC Land, Meta’s revised Commercial Terms, effective 30 October 2026, bring more than AI and site crawling. There’s also the service provided “AS IS”, a broader indemnity, five sets of supplementary terms, a clause allowing Meta to discontinue products, a liability cap and rules on where disputes are resolved. These are the points to read, with the caveat that the report doesn’t replace the original text.
Why it's worth reading all the terms
Most of this week’s discussion focuses on two clauses: responsibility for AI and site crawling by Meta. They matter, but the Commercial Terms are a contract governing the advertiser’s whole relationship with Meta. A less publicised change can weigh more in a dispute, in a product change or in a refund request.
PPC Land lists other changes. This article organises them by theme, with the caveat that they’re points from the report, not legal analysis. Anyone with a Meta Ads account with relevant spend should read the original text, or ask whoever handles the company’s legal side to read it.
1. Service “AS IS”
The report says the service is now provided “AS IS”, a phrase that in contracts usually means the supplier doesn’t guarantee the service is fit for a specific purpose or free of faults. For the advertiser, the practical reading is that campaign performance, tool availability and results aren’t guaranteed.
This isn’t new in the sector, but it’s a useful reminder: no platform guarantees sales. What the ad manager can guarantee is method, measurement and transparency, and that’s what a client should base the decision to hire on.
The 7 points in Meta's new terms
- Service provided “AS IS”
- Broader indemnity
- Five sets of supplementary terms
- Meta may discontinue products (9(g))
- Liability capped at 100 USD or 12 months of fees
- Disputes in California or Ireland
2. Broader indemnity
According to PPC Land, the terms include a broader indemnity. In general terms, an indemnity clause obliges one party to compensate the other for certain damages or claims. A broader indemnity may increase the risk assumed by the advertiser, for instance if a third party claims over an ad or content linked to its account.
The report doesn’t detail the clause’s exact scope. That’s why it’s one of the points where reading the original text, and possibly a lawyer, makes most difference. Companies in sensitive sectors, or with a lot of spend, should give it priority attention.
3. Five sets of supplementary terms
The report mentions five sets of supplementary terms linked to Section 8. Supplementary terms apply to specific products or features (for example formats, programmes or additional services) and may contain rules of their own on top of the main contract.
The risk is accepting a main contract and ignoring the supplementary terms that apply to what you really use. If your account uses catalogues, messaging, lead forms or creator partnerships, look for the corresponding supplementary terms and read the specific clauses.
A platform's terms are the contract almost nobody reads.
4. Product discontinuation (clause 9(g))
Clause 9(g), according to the report, allows Meta to discontinue products. For the advertiser, this means tools, formats or features your strategy rests on may cease to exist. It has happened in the sector many times: formats that disappear, targeting that gets merged, reports that change.
The practical answer is not to build the entire strategy on a single feature. Diversify formats and channels, document what depends on each tool and keep the capacity to adapt. And, when hiring a manager, ask how they handle product changes.
5. Liability cap
The March 2024 terms, still cited, cap Meta’s liability at the greater of 100 dollars and fees paid in the previous 12 months. The report on the revised terms says liability remains limited to this value. This means that even if a big loss is caused by a platform failure, the upstream claim is very limited.
For your company’s risk management, the consequence is practical: don’t depend on a single channel for revenue, keep reserves and have plan Bs when a platform fails or changes its rules.
6 and 7. Courts and arbitration
According to the report, US companies resort to individual arbitration, and disputes outside the US may go to courts in California or Ireland. For a Portuguese company, this implies a possible dispute with Meta doesn’t run in a Portuguese court by default, and that cost and complexity are far higher than for a domestic claim.
In practice, most disputes are solved with the platform’s support or dropped due to cost. But it’s important to know the path exists and what it is. And if it’s a dispute involving the end consumer, Portuguese consumer protection rules remain applicable, in terms a lawyer can confirm.
What to do with all this
Do a targeted reading: look for the seven points in your account’s text, mark what you don’t understand and take the doubts to whoever handles legal. Decide whether your use of Meta justifies seeking advice. And, in parallel, reduce dependencies: what happens to your business if a feature disappears, or if the account is suspended?
For those hiring a PPC manager, this is a good selection question: how do you protect me from contractual and product changes? A good professional doesn’t answer with promises, but with processes: documentation, diversification, alerts and contingency plans.
Frequently asked questions
Do the terms apply to all accounts?
They apply to accounts using Meta’s commercial products and which, according to PPC Land, accept the terms by continuing to advertise. Confirm the text in your account.
Can I negotiate the terms?
Standard terms are rarely negotiable for SMEs. What you can do is decide whether to accept them, how to protect yourself and what alternatives to keep.
Do I need a lawyer?
If your spend is significant or the sector is regulated, it’s prudent. This article summarises a report and isn’t legal advice.