Porn downloads were for personal use, not AI training: Meta
What's the story
Meta has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the tech giant of illegally downloading pornography for artificial intelligence (AI) training. The lawsuit was filed by Strike 3 Holdings after it found illegal downloads of some adult films on Meta's corporate IP addresses. The complaint also alleged that Meta used a "stealth network" of 2,500 "hidden IP addresses" to cover up its activities.
Rebuttal
'Baseless' claims by Strike 3, Meta argues
In its motion to dismiss, Meta dismissed Strike 3's claims as baseless and based on "guesswork and innuendo." The tech giant argued that there is no evidence linking it to the downloads of about 2,400 adult movies owned by Strike 3 or even proving its awareness of such illegal activity. It also contended that Strike 3 has not provided any proof that Meta trained an AI model on adult images or videos.
AI development
Downloads predate Meta's AI research
The downloads in question occurred over a seven-year period, starting in 2018. This was four years before Meta began its AI research into "Multimodal Models and Generative Video." The company argued that this timeline makes it unlikely the downloads were for AI training. Furthermore, Meta's terms explicitly prohibit the generation of adult content, further contradicting the idea that such materials could be useful for its AI training.
Usage clarification
Adult content downloaded for personal use, not AI training: Meta
Meta argued that the evidence clearly shows the flagged adult content was torrented for "private personal use." The company noted that the small amount linked to its IP addresses and employees only represented "a few dozen titles per year intermittently obtained one file at a time." This, Meta said, indicates individual users downloaded adult videos for personal use rather than as part of a coordinated effort to collect massive datasets for AI training.
Employee accountability
No evidence of employee involvement in downloads, says Meta
Meta also stressed that Strike 3 has not identified any individuals who allegedly used these corporate IP addresses, nor claimed they were employed by the company or had any role in AI training. The tech giant argued that while it's possible some employees may have downloaded Strike 3's content over the past seven years, it could just as easily have been a guest or contractor.
Contractor activity
Contractor's alleged role in the downloads questioned by Meta
Meta also responded to claims that a contractor was asked to download adult content at his father's house. The company argued these downloads were clearly for personal consumption and not tied to any AI training data sourcing. It noted the contractor worked as an "automation engineer," with no clear reason given why he would be tasked with sourcing such data in that capacity.
Network query
'Nonsensical and unsupported' theory, says Meta
Meta also questioned Strike 3's claim about the "stealth network" of hidden IPs. The company argued that it wouldn't make sense for it to "conceal" certain downloads but use easily traceable corporate IP addresses for many others. It slammed Strike 3's entire AI training theory as "nonsensical and unsupported," arguing that monitoring every file downloaded by anyone on its global network would be an incredibly difficult and intrusive task.