An interim order from a São Paulo civil court bars Meta from collecting and using journalistic content to train artificial intelligence without permission. It is provisional, and Meta can still respond.
CTRL + ALT News | Artificial Intelligence | Information checked on 8 November 2026
On 3 November 2026, Judge Guilherme Madeira Dezem, of the 44th Civil Court of São Paulo, granted an interim order in a case brought by Brazil’s national newspaper association (ANJ), its broadcasters’ association (Abert) and its magazine publishers’ association (Aner). It bars Meta from collecting and using its members’ journalistic content to train AI models without permission.
An interim order, known in Brazil as a liminar, is a provisional decision taken before the final judgment. It stays in force until then and can be changed or overturned. Here is what it says, based on the sources we could read, and what is still unknown. All of them are in Portuguese; the translations are ours.
What the order says
According to Gazeta do Povo and the ANJ’s statement, the court orders Meta to:
- Stop collecting and using the content. Meta must refrain from automated collection, scraping and use of protected content to train or fine-tune AI models, such as Meta AI. “Scraping” means copying content from websites and platforms automatically.
- Suspend part of its new commercial terms. The section of a clause that made access to Meta’s platforms conditional on allowing scraping is suspended. The two sources differ on the scope: Gazeta do Povo says part of the clause; the ANJ says the new commercial rules are suspended.
- Not retaliate. The members’ accounts, pages, profiles and tools on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads must be kept, with no sanctions or restrictions for refusing the new conditions.
- Pay a fine for non-compliance. One million reais a day, capped at 100 million reais.
Gazeta do Povo also reports that the judge declared a clause setting any disputes in the courts of California ineffective in Brazil, citing Meta’s Brazilian subsidiary, Brazil’s internet law and its civil procedure code. The paper says the judge described Meta as “reticent”, “choosing when to comply and when not to”.
Meta has been formally notified to respond within five days, Gazeta do Povo says. The ANJ’s statement says the order stays in force until the case is finally decided.
The background: Meta’s new commercial terms
The dispute centres on new rules from Meta for businesses that use its platforms. The claimants say they would make use of the platforms conditional on allowing Meta to scrape their content.
The sources differ on timing. Gazeta do Povo and the ANJ say the terms would take effect on 20 November. RSF says the first version was due on 30 October, that Meta removed the word “train” and postponed, and that on 28 October it announced a consultation and put the application back to “an indefinite date, after 20 November”. We cannot reconcile the accounts without reading the terms.
Not only Brazil
RSF reports that on 28 October a court in Oslo, Norway, temporarily suspended similar rules after a case brought by ten Norwegian media businesses; the ANJ mentions the Norwegian ruling too. RSF also says the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority opened an investigation on 30 October and that the European Commission received a complaint. We have not confirmed those two points with the authorities, so treat them as RSF’s account.
What changes, and what does not
- For the member publishers, while it stands, the order stops Meta using their content to train AI without permission and from punishing those who refuse the new terms.
- For readers, the sources describe no immediate change on Meta’s apps.
- For Meta, the next steps are its response and a possible appeal. We found no statement from the company and no report of an appeal as of 8 November.
The order does not decide the merits of the case. The lawsuit continues, and the judge can still change course.
For related reading on AI and the people who create content, see YouTube Music labels AI-made songs. For Meta’s own models, see Meta’s open-weight Muse Spark Open model.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ruling final? No. It is an interim order, valid until the final judgment and open to appeal.
Who brought the case? The ANJ (newspapers), Abert (radio and television) and Aner (magazines).
Has Meta responded? We found no public statement from Meta and no report of an appeal in the sources we checked.
Does it apply to every news outlet in Brazil? The sources speak of content from the members of the three associations. We could not find the ruling’s text to confirm its exact reach.
What we could not confirm
- The text of the ruling and the case number.
- Meta’s position, and whether it has responded or appealed.
- When the new commercial terms take effect (20 November according to Gazeta do Povo and the ANJ; “an indefinite date” according to RSF).
- The CMA investigation and the complaint to the European Commission, which only RSF mentions.
Sources (in Portuguese): Gazeta do Povo, 3 November 2026; Reporters Without Borders, 5 November 2026; ANJ, 3 November 2026.
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