Image by Nokia621, from Wiki Commons

Meta Emails Reveal Torrenting Of Pirated Books For AI Training

• Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

Newly unsealed emails have surfaced as what book authors are calling the “most damning evidence” against Meta in an ongoing copyright lawsuit, as first reported by Ars Technica .

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

• Meta torrented 81.7 terabytes of pirated books from shadow libraries like LibGen and Z-Library.
• Internal emails show Meta employees raised legal concerns about torrenting and seeding copyrighted material.
• Meta allegedly concealed torrenting by avoiding Facebook servers and minimizing seeding activity.

Ars Technica reports that the authors allege that Meta illegally trained its AI models on pirated books, and the emails reveal internal concerns about the legality of torrenting and seeding copyrighted material.

Last month, Meta admitted to torrenting a controversial dataset known as LibGen, which contains tens of millions of pirated books.

However, details remained unclear until the unredacted emails were made public.

According to the authors’ court filing , Meta torrented “at least 81.7 terabytes of data across multiple shadow libraries through the site Anna’s Archive, including at least 35.7 terabytes of data from Z-Library and LibGen.” Additionally, “Meta also previously torrented 80.6 terabytes of data from LibGen.”

“The magnitude of Meta’s unlawful torrenting scheme is astonishing,” the authors’ filing stated, noting that even “vastly smaller acts of data piracy—just .008 percent of the amount of copyrighted works Meta pirated—have resulted in Judges referring the conduct to the US Attorneys’ office for criminal investigation.”

Ars Technica notes that the emails also reveal internal unease among Meta employees. In April 2023, research engineer Nikolay Bashlykov wrote, “Torrenting from a corporate laptop doesn’t feel right,” adding a smiley emoji.

He expressed concern about using Meta IP addresses “to load through torrents pirate content.” By September 2023, Bashlykov had dropped the humor, consulting Meta’s legal team and warning that “using torrents would entail ‘seeding’ the files—i.e., sharing the content outside, this could be legally not OK.”

Despite these warnings, authors allege that Meta continued torrenting and seeding pirated content, even attempting to conceal its activities.

Ars Technica reports that internal messages show that Meta avoided using Facebook servers to download the dataset to “avoid” the “risk” of anyone “tracing back the seeder/downloader,” as described by researcher Frank Zhang.

Michael Clark, a Meta executive, also admitted in a deposition that settings were modified “so that the smallest amount of seeding possible could occur.”

The authors now argue that Meta staff involved in the torrenting decision must be deposed again, as the new evidence allegedly “contradicts prior deposition testimony.”

For instance, while CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed no involvement in using LibGen for AI training, unredacted messages suggest the “decision to use LibGen occurred” after “a prior escalation to MZ.”

Ars Technica reports that Meta has maintained that its AI training on LibGen constitutes “fair use” and denied any unlawful distribution of the authors’ works. However, the torrenting revelations have complicated its defense, allowing authors to expand their claims of direct copyright infringement.

As the case proceeds, Meta faces mounting scrutiny over its handling of copyrighted material, with the authors determined to hold the tech giant accountable for what they describe as a “massive unlawful torrenting scheme.”

Image by gamefreaks 365, from Flickr

Valve Blocks ‘Watch Ads To Play’ Models On Steam

• Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!

• Developers cannot require players to watch ads for rewards or game access.
• Product placement and cross-promotions are allowed if they are non-disruptive.
• Valve has also banned NFTs, crypto games, and undisclosed generative AI use.

The update, which was recently highlighted in Steam’s developer guidelines, ensures that players won’t have to watch ads to access gameplay features, as first reported by Gaming On Linux .

The clarification appears in a newly dedicated section of the Steamworks documentation, where Valve explicitly states that paid advertising cannot be used as a core business model.

While elements like real-world product placement and cross-promotions between games remain permissible, developers cannot require players to watch ads to unlock content or progress in a game.

The new rules state that developers must not implement paid advertising as a way to provide value to players. This includes rewards for watching ads or locking gameplay behind ad interactions.

Additionally, developers are prohibited from charging other studios for access to Steam’s promotional features, such as store pages or bundles.

SteamDB on Bluesky noted that while the advertising policy page is new, the rule isn’t. Valve has banned these in-game ads for at least five years, as shown on its pricing policy page.

Valve has created a dedicated page describing that in-game ads or ad-based revenue models are not allowed in Steam games. This has been reported as a new policy, but this has been the case for at least 5 years as seen on the pricing page, there just wasn’t a separate page. [image or embed] — SteamDB ( @steamdb.info ) 10 February 2025 at 07:43

The ban specifically targets monetization models that have become widespread in mobile gaming. Many free-to-play mobile titles require players to watch ads to continue playing, receive in-game rewards, or access certain features. Valve’s update ensures that this practice won’t extend to Steam’s ecosystem.

However, the rule does not prevent developers from promoting their own games within their titles. Ads for other games from the same developer remain acceptable as long as they do not interfere with gameplay or force player interaction.

This move is the latest in a series of consumer-friendly decisions by Valve.

In recent years, the company has introduced policies requiring developers to disclose kernel-level anti-cheat software, increased transparency for Early Access titles, and implemented a more structured Season Pass system, including refund policies for missing DLC content.

By maintaining a strict stance against intrusive advertising, Valve continues to differentiate Steam from other digital storefronts. The update reassures players that Steam remains a premium gaming platform free from the ad-driven monetization strategies common in mobile gaming.