🔗 Share this article Activist Group Asserts to Have Extracted Millions of Audio Files from Spotify An activist group has claimed to have scraped a vast number of songs from the popular streaming service and is getting ready to publish them online. Possible Impetus for AI Training Industry experts noted the seeming data breach could boost AI companies looking for data to develop their models. A group known as Anna’s Archive reported it had scraped 86 million audio tracks from Spotify and 256 million rows of associated data such as performer and album names. Spotify, which carries more than 100 million songs, stated that the leak did not constitute its entire inventory. “We have located and deactivated the malicious user accounts that were involved in illegal scraping,” stated a Spotify spokesperson. The Stockholm-based company, which has more than 700 million subscribers worldwide, added that an investigation into unauthorized access found a external actor collected public metadata and used questionable tactics to circumvent DRM protections. Group's Stated Mission and Worries The streaming service does not believe the audio taken by Anna’s Archive has been released yet. Anna’s Archive, which is known for offering links to copyright-infringing books, said in a blog it wanted to create a ‘historical repository’ for music. The group asserted the music files accounted for 99.6% of all music streamed to by its listeners and would be distributed via ‘peer-to-peer networks’, a method of exchanging large data files online. “Naturally the service doesn’t have all the music in the world, but it’s a great beginning,” said Anna’s Archive, which describes its purpose as “preserving humanity’s knowledge and culture”. AI Training and Copyright Debate A composer and campaigner for protecting artists’ rights, said the leaked music would probably be used for developing artificial intelligence systems. “Educating models on pirated data is sadly widespread in the tech sector, so this accessed music is highly likely to be used instructing AI models,” he said. The group's website alludes to LibGen, a huge online archive of pirated books that has allegedly been used by Meta to develop its AI models. The co-founder of an artificial intelligence company posted on LinkedIn that members of the public could in theory “create their own personal free version of the service”. He said it could also enable tech companies to “train on contemporary music at a large volume”. Intellectual property law has emerged as a battleground between artists, authors and content creators on one side and AI companies on the other. Government Considerations and Reactions In the UK, creative professionals have raised concerns against a government suggestion to allow AI companies use protected work without consent unless the owner opts out. Virtually every respondent to a government call for evidence on the idea has backed artists’ apprehensions. The secretary of state for technology, research and development informed parliament this month there was “little consensus” on the matter, noting that ministers would “take the time to get this right”. The government has committed to make regulatory plans on AI and copyright by next year.