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Meta faces allegations of using pirated books for AI

Meta Platforms is facing allegations in California federal court over using pirated books to train its AI systems.

These claims were detailed in court documents released on Wednesday.

Prominent authors, including Ta-Nehisi Coates and Sarah Silverman, claim that Meta, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s approval, knowingly used the AI dataset LibGen, which contains millions of pirated works.

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2023, accuses Meta of copyright infringement for using the authors’ works to train its Llama language model. Meta argues its actions fall under fair use.

The authors seek court approval to file an updated complaint with new evidence, revive dismissed claims related to copyright management, and add an allegation of computer fraud.

Meta has yet to respond to the allegations.

Recent Meta developments

Timeline
09-Jan-2025 📰 Meta staffers criticize its third-party fact-checking termination
  • Meta ends third-party fact-checking program.
  • Shift to user-driven approach raises employee concerns.
08-Jan-2025 🗳️ Meta eases political content rules, adds user controls
  • Meta resumes political content on platforms
  • Users can customize political content levels
08-Jan-2025 🗣️ Meta ends fact-checking, introduces community-based notes
  • Meta ends third-party fact-checking program
  • Launches user-driven ‘community notes’ initiative
08-Jan-2025 📉 Meta board adds UFC’s Dana White, cuts female presence
  • Meta appoints Dana White, lowering female board rep.
  • Board now includes 10 men and 3 women, 7 billionaires.

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