Meta tries to scapegoat staff who downloaded torrents to spare execs

Meta faces mounting scrutiny over its use of copyrighted material for artificial intelligence training. In recent legal proceedings, the company has been forced to pinpoint executives who authorized the downloading of books from unauthorized sources like Anna’s Archive and LibGen. This discovery order, part of a class action lawsuit filed by authors including Richard Kadrey and Sarah Silverman, as well as by publisher Entrepreneur Media, is expected to reveal the broader decision-making process behind the piracy.

Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixon has ordered Meta to clearly identify the key decision-makers involved in the unauthorized downloading of content. Testimony from Meta staff who engaged in torrent downloads has suggested that the responsibility likely extends to a wider range of supervisors, managers, and executives who may have greenlit the piracy. This revelation could expose the chain of command, particularly for leadership figures who were involved in the early stages of AI training.

Meta had attempted to avoid disclosing this information, arguing that its initial efforts to amass massive AI datasets were managed through an "informal approach" where no single authority figure made decisions. According to a company filing, Meta claimed that a "decision" was made "only in the sense" that some staffers "technically" downloaded torrents. The court order represents a significant development in the ongoing legal battle over the use of copyrighted material in the development of AI technologies.