this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2026
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Hacker News.

To help train AI models, Meta and other tech companies have downloaded and shared pirated books via BitTorrent from Anna's Archive and other shadow libraries. In an ongoing lawsuit, Meta now argues that uploading pirated books to strangers via BitTorrent qualifies as fair use. The company also stresses that the data helped establish U.S. global leadership in AI.

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[–] SorteKanin@feddit.dk 32 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Last summer, Meta scored a key victory in this case, as the court concluded that using pirated books to train its Llama LLM qualified as fair use, based on the arguments presented in this case.

This is so fucked. It's literally legal for an AI to read pirated books to learn, but humans are not allowed to do this. AIs have more rights than we do already.

[–] architect@thelemmy.club 11 points 1 day ago

I’m so tired of lawyer snakes.

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 14 points 1 day ago

I want copyright to go extinct. It has no place in a proper civilization.

[–] TheMadIrishman@sh.itjust.works 218 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Uploading torrents qualifies as fair use? Excited to see where this goes. Lol

[–] architect@thelemmy.club 6 points 1 day ago

Fair use to train LLMs with. These judges are really some shitty fucking people.

[–] jimonthony@lemmy.zip 133 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They don’t mean it’s fair for you. It’s fair for corporations which need the same rights and privileges as people but obviously can’t be held to account like people because shareholders might make less money.

[–] Artisian@lemmy.world 29 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Worth remembering that any group could make a company. They are work, but not particularly class locked.

[–] rapchee@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

so we just need an international "data processing" co-op

[–] architect@thelemmy.club 1 points 1 day ago

Yes then they will take out the small company, toss it out as meat to everyone online who cheer as finally some victory over ai was had, and the major players continue fucking us all.

[–] WanderingThoughts@europe.pub 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

An Uber driver is also a corporation.

[–] architect@thelemmy.club 3 points 1 day ago

Technically even with an llc you could still be considered an individual. Don’t put it past them to utilize this for a good fucking over small business.

Nowhere, the Zuck has his hand up Trump’s ass.

[–] RblScmNerfHerder@lemmy.world 87 points 2 days ago

OFC, it's not pirating if they do it. 🙄

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 66 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

The company also stresses that the data helped establish U.S. global leadership in AI.

Which is good for what again?

And is leadership in golfing better?

[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

the underlying justification is so sickening.

"Breaking the law is OK if it's profitable"

there is no such thing as "rule of law"

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Always was. Only the scale is new.

it was never so balanced open. "Should twitter be banned for breaking CSAM laws?" WHY IS IT A PUBLIC DEBATE, IT SHOULD BE A "DUH!".

[–] SayJess@piefed.blahaj.zone 17 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Uh…because they are gonna cash out, and bro down? The US needs to cash out the most, ‘cuz they wanna bro down like the world has never seen before. I’m citing unnamed officials who are working closely with the coordination of resources for the planned event. It’s gunna be sick.

[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Will there be boofing with Squee?

[–] PabloSexcrowbar@piefed.social 3 points 2 days ago

And is leadership in golfing better?

No, Mark hates golf as far as I know. He's a big fan of BJJ though.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 39 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

They are saying that seeding is inherently part of torrenting, not that it's fair use. I mean, at least they weren't a leech.

My stance is fuck the copyright companies and fuck Meta for everything they do except in this case, because seedings a good thing and so is Anna's archive.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Seeding is NOT needed for downloading.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

To be fair, I did say inherently part of. It would have been rude of them not to seed.

[–] partofthevoice@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Those bastards stole all our data! But hey, at least they seeded it. Would have been pretty darn rude, otherwise.

[–] architect@thelemmy.club 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

It’s not stealing to download media.

We can hate zuckerberg and still not care that they torrented books.

Don’t be a hypocrite just to feel like you got some win.

[–] partofthevoice@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 day ago

I hear you, but hear me out… They’re creating products from the consumed torrents, which absolutely contained copyrighted materials. I’m not trying to capitalize my torrents. Although, I did use cracked photoshop back in high school for a $200 job.

And to be completely honest with you, I don’t really care about copyright infringement so much, after it’s become a tool for organizations like Disney or whoever to abuse as they please. But the main body of work torrented here would be corpus’ of text, music, … a lot of stuff that independent producers created and rely on for income.

I found this particular video quite insightful on the impact within the music industry: https://youtu.be/QVXfcIb3OKo

To be fair to Meta, I’d have to say that I don’t really know what models they’re training via that data and how they’re using the resulting products. This is Meta, though, a pioneer and industry leader in the process of surveillance capitalism. I don’t particularly have high expectations for them.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I'm not pro-copyright. I actually steal content, as in pirate it and then watch it. I don't consider it stealing to do it to train AI on it tbh.

"Our" data implies we collectively own it, yet we don't, copyright companies for the most part do.

[–] discocactus@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago

How does Elsevier feel about that???

[–] lnxtx@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 days ago

Let's wait for a case law then.