{
  "id": 15784891,
  "title": "Meta tries to scapegoat staff who downloaded torrents to spare execs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/meta-tries-to-scapegoat-staff-who-downloaded-torrents-to-spare-execs",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-20T17:40:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ars Technica Policy",
    "slug": "ars-technica-policy",
    "url": "https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/10/meta-ordered-to-name-execs-who-approved-torrenting-for-ai-training/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Meta is attempting to shift blame onto its employees who downloaded torrents in order to protect executives from scrutiny. The social media giant has been ordered to reveal the names of high-ranking officials who authorized the copyright infringement, TorrentFreak reported. Magistrate Judge Thomas Hixon, presiding over a class action lawsuit filed by authors like Richard Kadrey and Sarah Silverman, as well as Entrepreneur Media, largely agreed that Meta must identify these key decision-makers. Testimony from Meta staff who downloaded the pirated materials could potentially expose additional supervisors, managers, and executives who approved the piracy. Meta had initially sought to avoid naming anyone in the chain of command, especially those involved in the early stages of AI training. According to the company's court filing, its initial approach involved an \"informal process where, supposedly, nobody with authority made any decisions.\" Instead, Meta claimed that \"a decision was made only in the sense that some staffers technically downloaded torrents.\"",
  "summary": "Meta argues nobody “decided” to pirate books to train AI.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Ars Technica",
        "title": "Meta tries to scapegoat staff who downloaded torrents to spare execs",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/meta-tries-to-scapegoat-staff-who-downloaded-torrents-to-spare-execs-15799364",
        "published": "2026-10-20T17:40:20.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}