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Amazon Trashes Rare Books for AI Training, Sparking Preservation Concerns · 10 sources tracked

Amazon has been discovered to be scanning and destroying rare books to train its AI models, a practice that has drawn criticism for its potential impact on societal knowledge. This method has been linked to arguments of fair use, as seen in a lawsuit involving Anthropic, where the destruction of a book after scanning was deemed permissible. The situation has prompted calls for copyright law to prioritize knowledge preservation over active destruction. AI

IMPACT Raises ethical questions about AI training data acquisition and its impact on cultural heritage, potentially influencing future copyright law.

RANK_REASON News about a major company's practices impacting knowledge preservation and potentially copyright law.

Read on Mastodon — fosstodon.org →

AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 47 sources. How we write summaries →

Amazon Trashes Rare Books for AI Training, Sparking Preservation Concerns · 10 sources tracked

How we ranked this

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0 / 100
Composite score across the factors below. Higher = stronger signal that this story matters right now.
Newsworthiness bucket
Significant
News about a major company's practices impacting knowledge preservation and potentially copyright law.
Source corroboration
47 independent sources
Strong cross-source corroboration — multiple independent publishers covered this within the clustering window.
Topics
policy, product, other
Editorial topic classification. Feeds into how the story surfaces on /topic/<slug> hub pages and into the per-entity coverage mix.
AI-industry relevance
High
Clearly on-topic for AI-industry coverage.
Story freshness
46 days old
Aged out of breaking-news scoring windows; ranking reflects the durable signal from the full source set.
Coverage growth since scoring
+7 source(s) since last score
New sources have picked up this story since our last re-score. Score will update on the next scoring pass.

Full methodology in our editorial standards.

COVERAGE [47]

  1. Mastodon — sigmoid.social TIER_1 Polski(PL) · [email protected] ·

    Big bullshit with this ruining books to scan them cheaper # Amazon # ai https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashi

    Wielka chujnia z tym psuciem książek, żeby skanować je taniej # Amazon # ai https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-to-train-ai/

  2. Mastodon — sigmoid.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Now # Amazon is caught scanning rare old books to feed # AI and destroying them in the process https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-books-it-

    Now # Amazon is caught scanning rare old books to feed # AI and destroying them in the process https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility/ Sure, some of these # books might have gotten lost anyway, but destroying them …

  3. Mastodon — sigmoid.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    It just seems wrong to destroy books just to feed them into an AI model. # AI https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-tras

    It just seems wrong to destroy books just to feed them into an AI model. # AI https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-to-train-ai/

  4. Mastodon — sigmoid.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    AirTag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-to-trai

    AirTag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-to-train-ai/ # HackerNews # Tech # AI

  5. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    The oldest book in my library is from around 1902, it makes me sad to think that # AI companies would happily destroy it after scanning it: https://www. theregi

    The oldest book in my library is from around 1902, it makes me sad to think that # AI companies would happily destroy it after scanning it: https://www. theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026 /08/21/ai-companies-are-burning-books-advocates-complain-to-ftc/5291299 # ArtificialIntelligence

  6. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    The oldest book in my library is from around 1902, it makes me sad to think that # AI companies would happily destroy it after scanning it: https://www. theregi

    The oldest book in my library is from around 1902, it makes me sad to think that # AI companies would happily destroy it after scanning it: https://www. theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026 /08/21/ai-companies-are-burning-books-advocates-complain-to-ftc/5291299 # ArtificialIntelligence

  7. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    If this is confirmed this is totally insane # ai https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility/

    If this is confirmed this is totally insane # ai https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility/

  8. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late https:// annas-archive.gl/blog/physical -destruction.html # ai

    AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late https:// annas-archive.gl/blog/physical -destruction.html # ai

  9. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 Italiano(IT) · [email protected] ·

    It's not true that they buy rare books... Poor companies run by gurus 🤬 # llm # ai # books # destroybooks https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/hidden-a

    Non è vero che comprano libri rari... Povere aziende gestite da santoni 🤬 # llm # ai # books # destroybooks https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-to-train-ai/ https://www.404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipment-of-rare-books-it-…

  10. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late https:// annas-archive.pk/blog/physical -destruction.html Comments: https:// ne

    AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late https:// annas-archive.pk/blog/physical -destruction.html Comments: https:// news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4 9385994 # HackerNews # AI # companies # physical # books # rare # books # preservation # di…

  11. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late https:// annas-archive.pk/blog/physical -destruction.html # ai

    AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late https:// annas-archive.pk/blog/physical -destruction.html # ai

  12. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    📜 Latest Top Story on # HackerNews : AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late 🔍 Original Story: https:// annas-archive.g

    📜 Latest Top Story on # HackerNews : AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late 🔍 Original Story: https:// annas-archive.gl/blog/physical -destruction.html 👤 Author: Cider9986 ⭐ Score: 26 💬 Number of Comments: 2 🕒 Posted At: 2026-08-21 02:37:…

  13. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late https:// annas-archive.gl/blog/physical -destruction.html Comments: https:// ne

    AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late https:// annas-archive.gl/blog/physical -destruction.html Comments: https:// news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4 9383026 # HackerNews # AI # books # scanning # digital # preservation # rare # books

  14. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late https:// annas-archive.gl/blog/physical -destruction.html # ai

    AI companies destroy physical books – let's scan rare books before it's too late https:// annas-archive.gl/blog/physical -destruction.html # ai

  15. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 Polski(PL) · [email protected] ·

    They placed an AirTag tracker in a book shipment – it turned out the books were likely scanned/destroyed and used for AI training. https:// s

    Umieścili tracker AirTag w transporcie książek – okazało się, że prawdopodobnie książki zostały zeskanowane / zniszczone oraz użyte do trenowania AI. https:// sekurak.pl/umiescili-tracker-a irtag-w-transporcie-ksiazek-okazalo-sie-ze-prawdopodobnie-ksiazki-zostaly-zeskanowane-znis…

  16. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 Deutsch(DE) · [email protected] ·

    AI eats real books! #AMAZON buys antiquarian books worldwide with #ISBN numbers. These go through several stages to the department / project

    KI frisst echte Bücher! # AMAZON kauft weltweit massenhaft antiquarische Bücher mit # ISBN -Nummern. Diese werden über mehrere Stationen zur Abteilung / Projekt # VGT3 nach Las Vegas gebracht. Die Bücher werden zerschnitten, gescannt und dann geshreddert. # 404media hat einen Pei…

  17. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Wait a second! Doesn't Amazon have books of their own to scan?! Didn't they used to be a book seller?! Hidden AirTag appears to confirm suspicions about illicit

    Wait a second! Doesn't Amazon have books of their own to scan?! Didn't they used to be a book seller?! Hidden AirTag appears to confirm suspicions about illicit AI book scanning https:// 9to5mac.com/2026/08/19/hidden- airtag-appears-to-confirm-suspicions-about-illicit-ai-book-sca…

  18. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    This story from @ quartz is shocking. # Amazon is buying rare # books and destroying them to train its # AI models https:// qz.com/amazon-rare-books-destr oying

    This story from @ quartz is shocking. # Amazon is buying rare # books and destroying them to train its # AI models https:// qz.com/amazon-rare-books-destr oying-ai-training-data-081826

  19. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Amazon is buying rare books and destroying them to train its # AI models https:// qz.com/amazon-rare-books-destr oying-ai-training-data-081826

    Amazon is buying rare books and destroying them to train its # AI models https:// qz.com/amazon-rare-books-destr oying-ai-training-data-081826

  20. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 Italiano(IT) · [email protected] ·

    Experiment confirms Amazon destroys rare books after training AI 📌 Link to article: https://www.redhotcyber.com/post/

    Un esperimento conferma che Amazon distrugge libri rari dopo aver addestrato l’intelligenza artificiale 📌 Link all'articolo : https://www. redhotcyber.com/post/un-esperi mento-conferma-che-amazon-distrugge-libri-rari-dopo-aver-addestrato-lintelligenza-artificiale/ Chiara Nardini …

  21. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Only villains destroy books. Stop feeding the monster. # amazon # AItraining # AI https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-a

    Only villains destroy books. Stop feeding the monster. # amazon # AItraining # AI https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter

  22. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Amazon Caught Destroying Rare Books to Train AI https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/amazon-destroying-rare-books-ai > An investigation by 404 Media fou

    Amazon Caught Destroying Rare Books to Train AI https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/amazon-destroying-rare-books-ai > An investigation by 404 Media found that Amazon bought a shipment of rare books so it could scan and destroy them to train AI. via @ ahaachja.bsky.social…

  23. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Hidden # Airtag reveals # Amazon is trashing rare # books to train # AI For the past year or so, booksellers have suspected that AI firms are buying up huge lot

    Hidden # Airtag reveals # Amazon is trashing rare # books to train # AI For the past year or so, booksellers have suspected that AI firms are buying up huge lots of rare books, then destroying them after scanning them to train AI. But this was hard to prove until now, as 404 Medi…

  24. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    AirTag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-to-tr

    AirTag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-to-train-ai/ # ai

  25. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI https:// techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/amaz on-once-an-online-bookseller-is-destroying

    Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI https:// techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/amaz on-once-an-online-bookseller-is-destroying-rare-books-to-train-ai-models/ # ai # techcrunch

  26. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Amazon, once an online bookseller, is destroying rare books to train AI models https:// techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/amaz on-once-an-online-bookseller-is-destroyin

    Amazon, once an online bookseller, is destroying rare books to train AI models https:// techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/amaz on-once-an-online-bookseller-is-destroying-rare-books-to-train-ai-models/ # Amazon # books # Bookstodon # AI # ArtificialIntelligence

  27. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    I find it ironic # amazon which started as an online bookstore, is now consuming massive amounts of rare books to train it's # ai , talk about full circle;

    I find it ironic # amazon which started as an online bookstore, is now consuming massive amounts of rare books to train it's # ai , talk about full circle;

  28. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    📰 Tracking Rare Books Leads to an Amazon AI Training Facility alternative_right shares a report from 404 Media: Amazon is buying massive quantities of books, sc

    📰 Tracking Rare Books Leads to an Amazon AI Training Facility alternative_right shares a report from 404 Media: Amazon is buying massive quantities of books, scanning them for AI training data, and destroying them in the process. A 404 Media investigation was... 📰 Source: Slashdo…

  29. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    RE: https:// mstdn.ca/@dbattistella/1170040 05387778336 @ 404mediaco placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which # AI company was buying i

    RE: https:// mstdn.ca/@dbattistella/1170040 05387778336 @ 404mediaco placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which # AI company was buying it, and found an # Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books: 🌍 https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm e…

  30. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    @ 404mediaco nailing it again. Tracking order of # books to be consumed by # Amazon for # AI training. https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-b

    @ 404mediaco nailing it again. Tracking order of # books to be consumed by # Amazon for # AI training. https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility The logo for the group splitting the books is a cartoonishly evil lookin…

  31. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Kulturvampire: "Amazon is buying massive quantities of books, scanning them for AI training data, and destroying them in the process." https://www. 404media.co/

    Kulturvampire: "Amazon is buying massive quantities of books, scanning them for AI training data, and destroying them in the process." https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility/ # books # destruction # amazon # ai # k…

  32. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    404 Media tracked a shipment of books (some rare) to an Amazon facility that scans them for LLM training data and destroys the physical books. # ArtificialIntel

    404 Media tracked a shipment of books (some rare) to an Amazon facility that scans them for LLM training data and destroys the physical books. # ArtificialIntelligence # AI # LLMs # LargeLanguageModels # books # scanning https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-boo…

  33. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    # Amazon is Destroying # RareBooks to Train # AI https:// pod.link/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZ WdhcGhvbmUuZm0vVEJJRUEyNzYxMjgyNDkw/episode/NTlmNDdlNGUtOWI1Ni0xMWYxLTl

    # Amazon is Destroying # RareBooks to Train # AI https:// pod.link/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZ WdhcGhvbmUuZm0vVEJJRUEyNzYxMjgyNDkw/episode/NTlmNDdlNGUtOWI1Ni0xMWYxLTlkYzUtMzcwNmUzNGZmZWMx

  34. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Exclusive: FTC urged to investigate AI firms for destroying books # AI # books https://www. axios.com/2026/08/21/ftc-ai-co mpanies-book-destruction-investigate

    Exclusive: FTC urged to investigate AI firms for destroying books # AI # books https://www. axios.com/2026/08/21/ftc-ai-co mpanies-book-destruction-investigate

  35. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · sagalinked ·

    📰 Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI 🔗 https:// techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/amaz on-once-an-online-bookseller-is-destro

    📰 Amazon, which started off selling books, is destroying rare texts to train AI 🔗 https:// techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/amaz on-once-an-online-bookseller-is-destroying-rare-books-to-train-ai-models/ # Tech # AI

  36. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 Nederlands(NL) · [email protected] ·

    Also in the news here Tracker reveals: Amazon buys massive amounts of books to train AI https://vrtnws.be/p.M9XdLKp7d #ai #amazon #bookdamage

    Ook hier in het nieuws Tracker onthult: Amazon koopt massaal boeken om AI te trainen https:// vrtnws.be/p.M9XdLKp7d # ai # amazon # bookdamage

  37. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    This story from Quartz is shocking. #Amazon is buying rare #books and destroying them to train its #AI models qz.com/amazon-rare-... Amazon destroying rare book

    This story from Quartz is shocking. #Amazon is buying rare #books and destroying them to train its #AI models qz.com/amazon-rare-... Amazon destroying rare books t...

  38. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    your weekly reminder that rare books are being bought and destroyed by # AI companies protect your books. protect our knowledge. protect humanity. https://www.

    your weekly reminder that rare books are being bought and destroyed by # AI companies protect your books. protect our knowledge. protect humanity. https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility/

  39. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 Deutsch(DE) · ComputerBase ·

    Caught: Amazon buys rare books for AI training and destroys them https://www.computerbase.de/news/wirtschaft/ueberfuehrt-amazon-kauft-seltene-buecher-

    Überführt: Amazon kauft seltene Bücher für KI-Training und zerstört sie https://www. computerbase.de/news/wirtschaf t/ueberfuehrt-amazon-kauft-seltene-buecher-fuer-ki-training-und-zerstoert-sie.98894/ # Amazon # Books # AI

  40. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    There is a silly breed of anti-AI advocate who protests "rare" books being bought and scanned for AI training materials. Books that were moldering on shelves, t

    There is a silly breed of anti-AI advocate who protests "rare" books being bought and scanned for AI training materials. Books that were moldering on shelves, that hadn't been touched for decades, that would continue to molder on shelves forever. Naturally, none of them are rushi…

  41. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    # books # ai https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility/

    # books # ai https://www. 404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipm ent-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility/

  42. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Amazon joins the list of companies destroying rare books to feed to the AI machine # AI # books https:// appleinsider.com/articles/26/0 8/17/amazon-joins-the-li

    Amazon joins the list of companies destroying rare books to feed to the AI machine # AI # books https:// appleinsider.com/articles/26/0 8/17/amazon-joins-the-list-of-companies-destroying-rare-books-to-feed-to-the-ai-machine

  43. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Destroy books to train AI models? This is unacceptable, Amazon and Anthropic. What a shame. 404 media placed an Airtag in a shipment of rare books and found an

    Destroy books to train AI models? This is unacceptable, Amazon and Anthropic. What a shame. 404 media placed an Airtag in a shipment of rare books and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books. https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/hidden-airtag-revea…

  44. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    AirTag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI Article URL: https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rar

    AirTag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI Article URL: https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-to-train-ai/ Comments URL: https:// news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4 9336050 Points: 16 # Comments: 2 https:// ars…

  45. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · h4ckernews ·

    AirTag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-to-tr

    AirTag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI https:// arstechnica.com/tech-policy/20 26/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-to-train-ai/ Comments: https:// news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4 9336050 # HackerNews # AirTag # Amazon # RareBooks # AI # Trai…

  46. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Hidden Airtag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-

    Hidden Airtag reveals Amazon is trashing rare books to train AI https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/hidden-airtag-reveals-amazon-is-trashing-rare-books-to-train-ai/ # AI # Ethics # Business

  47. Mastodon — mastodon.social TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Amazon, once an online bookseller, is destroying rare books to train AI models https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/amazon-once-an-online-bookseller-is-destroying-

    Amazon, once an online bookseller, is destroying rare books to train AI models https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/17/amazon-once-an-online-bookseller-is-destroying-rare-books-to-train-ai-models/ # AI # Tech # Ethics