Meta Faces Protests Over Alleged Use of “Shadow Library” for AI Training

• Public Protest Outside Meta London HQ (April 3, 2025):

  Writers gathered at Granary Square, King’s Cross at 1:30 PM to protest Meta’s alleged use of copyrighted books for AI training. A formal letter from the Society of Authors (SoA) was hand-delivered at 1:45 PM to Meta’s London office and also sent to Meta HQ in the U.S. The protest was organized in response to the revelation that millions of books had been used without consent to develop Meta’s AI models.

• High-Profile Author Participation:

  Among the protesters were Kate Mosse, Tracy Chevalier, Daljit Nagra, and protest leader AJ West. Other vocal supporters included Richard Osman, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Val McDermid. Their collective visibility amplified the protest’s impact, emphasizing the unified stance of the UK literary community against what they perceive as intellectual property theft.

• Use of LibGen Dataset (”Shadow Library”) with 7.5 Million Books:

  A U.S. court filing in January 2025 alleged that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally approved the use of LibGen, a notorious “shadow library” known for housing more than 7.5 million pirated books. The Atlantic later republished a searchable version of this database, enabling authors to verify if their copyrighted works were included in AI training datasets.

• Author Reactions and Public Statements:

  Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin, chair of the SoA, described Meta’s actions as “illegal, shocking, and utterly devastating for writers.” Protest leader AJ West said seeing his books used without permission felt like being “mugged.” The protest also drew attention to the experiences of other authors, including Ta-Nehisi Coates, Jacqueline Woodson, Junot Díaz, Andrew Sean Greer, and Sarah Silverman, who are currently involved in a lawsuit against Meta in the U.S.

• Legal Pressure and Calls for Government Action:

  The SoA launched a petition via Change.org urging UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to summon Meta executives before Parliament. The petition has surpassed 7,000 signatures. Protesters used coordinated hashtags, including #MetaBookThieves, #MakeItFair, and #DoTheWriteThing, while demonstrators were encouraged to carry placards. The movement gained further traction online under the trending hashtag #MetaBookScandal, which surpassed 10,000 tweets.

• Meta’s Legal Position:

  A Meta spokesperson reiterated the company’s belief that its data usage is compliant with current intellectual property laws. However, no further clarification or public documentation has been provided to support this position amid mounting legal and public scrutiny.

• Ongoing Legal Proceedings:

  The court filing by authors suing Meta in the U.S. highlights that company executives were aware of LibGen’s pirated nature. This awareness, coupled with Meta’s approval of its use, may strengthen claims of willful copyright infringement and increase potential damages in future rulings.

• Wider Online and Industry Reaction:

  The controversy has fueled heated debates across social media and professional platforms:

  • Reddit: Subreddits like r/Books and r/Privacy saw over 5,000 comments on the implications of Meta’s actions and possible legal outcomes.
  • Twitter (X): The hashtag #MetaBookScandal trended globally with author testimonials and legal commentary.
  • LinkedIn: Intellectual property lawyers and publishing professionals debated the future of AI training datasets, fair-use doctrine boundaries, and the need for new compensation frameworks.

Why This Matters:

This case underscores a growing rift between the creative industries and AI developers. As generative AI evolves, so does its appetite for large-scale data—often gathered without consent. The Meta–LibGen (”Shadow Library”) controversy may shape future legislation on data licensing, compel tech companies to seek lawful, compensated sources, and spark broader conversations about ethical AI practices. It also raises urgent questions about how society values authorship in a world increasingly dominated by machine-generated content.