Activity tagged "shadow library"
Shadow libraries and AI training
For those just learning about LibGen because of the reporting on Meta and other companies training LLMs on pirated books, I’d highly recommend the book Shadow Libraries: Access to Knowledge in Global Higher Education (open access).
I just read it while working on the Wikipedia article about shadow libraries, and it’s a fascinating history.
I fear the already fraught conversations about shadow libraries will take a turn for the worse now that they’re overlapping with the incredibly fraught conversations about AI training.
It’s a shame to see Sci-Hub falling for web3 hype and adding a pumpfun memecoin ticker to their webpage. Blockchain-based DNS does not automatically mean “decentralized”, and 3DNS — the company behind .box — is based in the US and would be subject to US court orders.
Someone unaffiliated with Sci-Hub created the memecoin, claiming to be fundraising, but said only 20% of proceeds would go to Sci-Hub. Founder Alexandra Elbakyan herself condemned this.
I guess things changed bc there is now a crypto ticker showing the memecoin price on the Sci-Hub front page, and the donations page also prominently lists it.
Sci-Hub has long fundraised by accepting donations of major cryptocurrencies, which makes sense. But the memecoin seems like a terrible idea, and it’s not clear what they’re even trying to do with the web3 domain.