Meta · Llama API Terms of Service · View original document ↗

Prohibition on Scraping and Automated Data Collection

Medium severity High confidence Explicitdocumentlanguage Rare · 1 of 325 platforms
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Document Record

What it is

Developers are not allowed to scrape Meta's platform, use unauthorized bots or automated tools to collect data, or attempt to reverse engineer Meta's software. Only Meta's official APIs and developer tools may be used for automated data access.

This analysis describes what Meta's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

This provision defines the permitted scope of automated data access, which affects how developers can build data-intensive applications and limits the types of integrations that are permissible without prior authorization.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

This restriction limits the methods by which developers can access platform data on behalf of users, which has implications for the types of features and integrations that third-party apps can offer to consumers using Meta-connected services.

How other platforms handle this

Runway Medium

You may not use automated tools to scrape, crawl, or extract data or content from Runway's platform, or attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or otherwise derive the source code or underlying models of Runway's tools and services.

Midjourney Medium

You may not access or use the Services for purposes of developing or offering competitive products or services. You may not reverse engineer the Services or the Assets. You may not use automated tools to access, interact with, or generate Assets through the Services. You may not resell or redistribu...

X Medium

You may not access the Services in any way other than through the currently available, published interfaces that we provide. For example, this means that you cannot scrape the Services without X's express written permission, try to work around any technical limitations we impose, or otherwise attemp...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
You must not, and must not facilitate or enable others to, scrape or crawl any part of our Platform or access the Platform using any automated means (such as bots, scrapers, or crawlers) other than those permitted by these Terms or Meta's official developer tools. You must not, and must not attempt to, decode, decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any component of the Platform.

— Excerpt from Meta's Llama API Terms of Service

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) in the US context, which has been interpreted in varying ways regarding unauthorized automated access to platform data. The Ninth Circuit's hiQ v. LinkedIn ruling and subsequent developments have created some uncertainty about the scope of CFAA liability for scraping publicly accessible data. EU equivalents include the Directive on attacks against information systems. The relevant enforcement authorities include the US DOJ for CFAA criminal matters and civil litigants in private enforcement. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The prohibition on scraping and reverse engineering is standard in platform terms and aligns with common industry practice. The CFAA-based legal risk for unauthorized scraping creates meaningful enforcement exposure for developers who exceed their licensed access scope, though the boundaries of 'unauthorized access' under the CFAA remain subject to ongoing judicial interpretation. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU developers should assess whether equivalent national computer crime statutes apply to automated access beyond licensed scope. Researchers and journalists in some jurisdictions may have limited exemptions for automated data collection for public interest purposes, though the enforceability of such exemptions in the context of private platform terms is jurisdiction-dependent. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Developers who use third-party data enrichment or analytics vendors that operate by scraping Meta platform data should assess whether those vendor practices would constitute a violation of this provision and whether the developer could face indirect liability for facilitating prohibited scraping. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should audit all automated data collection mechanisms in their Meta-connected applications to confirm they operate exclusively through Meta's official APIs and developer tools. Any use of third-party data vendors that include Meta-sourced data should be reviewed for compliance with this provision.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable regulations

CFAA
United States Federal
DMCA
United States Federal
DSA
European Union

Provision details

Document information
Document
Llama API Terms of Service
Entity
Meta
Document last updated
May 11, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 11, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-011488
Document ID
CA-D-00778
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
baefabd2047c61b77d3dbc86fb3962da868600ef84c32db58013c52ddbab3929
Analysis generated
May 11, 2026 11:49 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Meta
Document: Llama API Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-P-011488
Captured: 2026-05-11 11:49:07 UTC
SHA-256: baefabd2047c61b7…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/meta/llama-api-terms-of-service/prohibition-on-scraping-and-automated-data-collection/
Accessed: May 13, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Meta's Prohibition on Scraping and Automated Data Collection clause do?

This provision defines the permitted scope of automated data access, which affects how developers can build data-intensive applications and limits the types of integrations that are permissible without prior authorization.

How does this clause affect you?

This restriction limits the methods by which developers can access platform data on behalf of users, which has implications for the types of features and integrations that third-party apps can offer to consumers using Meta-connected services.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 1 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Meta?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta.