Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether contractual terms imposed as a condition of using a digital platform can override machine-readable rights reservations such as robots.txt; and how that assessment will impact their
Answer
The Government recognises concerns about how contractual terms interact with machine-readable rights reservations, such as robots.txt, and their effectiveness in enabling rights holders to control the use of their works. These concerns have been highlighted by Meta's proposed Commercial Terms, which Meta has now delayed indefinitely. The Competition and Markets Authority has been engaging directly with Meta. DCMS is reviewing mechanisms for creators to control their works online, including technical standards and best practice on input transparency, and this will inform whether there is an appropriate role for Government.
Verdict: AMBER (35/100)
The reply partly addresses both parts of the question but does not give a clear answer to either. On the first part, it describes the Meta Commercial Terms episode, the CMA's engagement and DCMS's review, but it never states whether contractual terms can override machine-readable rights reservations such as robots.txt. On the second part, it says only that the DCMS review will inform whether there is an appropriate role for Government, without saying what that would change or committing to any action. The asker would likely need to ask again for a direct position on the override question and for specifics on the follow-up.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the department's assessment or view of whether contractual terms imposed as a condition of using a digital platform can override machine-readable rights reservations such as robots.txt | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply acknowledges concerns about how contractual terms interact with robots.txt and describes the Meta Commercial Terms episode, the CMA's engagement, and DCMS's review, which together give the general position. However, it never states a view on whether contractual terms can override machine-readable rights reservations, which is the substance of the 'assessment or view' asked for. |
| What impact that assessment will have on the Government's policy or approach, as the question is cut off after 'impact their' and the object of the impact is not stated | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The question is truncated so its object is unclear, but the reply's only statement on impact is that the DCMS review will inform whether there is an appropriate role for Government. That gives a stated effect on policy, but it is vague about what the assessment would change and does not commit to any specific action. |