Technologies

Spotify Says It’s Shutting Down Access to Site That Scraped Its Music Library

After a shadow library site claimed to have created a metadata archive of 99.6 percent of Spotify’s music, the streaming service said it’s shutting down accounts and creating safeguards to protect its data.

Spotify says it’s cutting off access to some user accounts and adding safeguards after a shadow library website claimed to have scraped 99.6% of Spotify’s metadata and audio files from the streaming service’s music library.

On Dec. 20, the website Anna’s Archive said in a blog post that it was distributing 300 terabytes worth of data for 256 million music tracks it scraped from Spotify. It has released 99.6 of the service’s music library, or 86 million music files of the most popular tracks. The blog post called it a preservation effort and said it was considering allowing the downloading of individual files in the future. The post also called for donations to Anna’s Archive.

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Spotify responded, saying it’s been investigating the scraping and is taking action against Anna’s Archive. «Spotify has identified and disabled the nefarious user accounts that engaged in unlawful scraping,» a spokesperson told CNET in an email.

«We’ve implemented new safeguards for these types of anti-copyright attacks and are actively monitoring for suspicious behavior. Since day one, we have stood with the artist community against piracy, and we are actively working with our industry partners to protect creators and defend their rights,» the spokesperson said.

In its blog post, Anna’s Archive said the torrent release of metadata was just the first step of its plans for the Spotify data it collected. It said the release of music files, in order of popularity on Spotify, was next, to be followed by additional file metadata, album art and patching files to reconstruct Spotify’s original files. «This is by far the largest music metadata database that is publicly available,» the blog post said.

Technologies

The Fourth Episode of the VERUM AI Mini-Series Is Out

Verum Messenger has released the fourth episode of its AI mini-series SHADOWS, created using Verum AI. The new episode, titled “No Borders,” continues the story of a team trying to stay out of the OMEGA corporation’s sight.

Following the events of the previous episodes, the team moves between cities and countries while OMEGA continues its search. The new episode puts particular emphasis on Verum Messenger’s capabilities that allow users to conceal their location.

“No Borders” is another chapter in a story about privacy, freedom of communication, and technologies that erase borders between people.

The VERUM AI mini-series consists of seven episodes, released gradually across Verum Messenger’s social media channels.

Episode 4 is now available. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

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Technologies

Verum Messenger Introduces Built-In Verum Chess

Verum Messenger has released a new update for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, adding another feature to its growing ecosystem — Verum Chess. Users can now play chess directly inside the messenger without switching between different applications.

The new feature allows users to start a game in just a few taps while reinforcing Verum’s vision of a unified digital environment where communication and everyday services come together in a single platform.

Verum Messenger continues to evolve into a multifunctional ecosystem that combines secure chats and calls, AI tools, a built-in VPN, anonymous email, eSIM, financial services, cryptocurrency features, and offline communication. With the introduction of Verum Chess, the platform now also offers a new way for users to interact and spend time together without leaving the app.

The update is now available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac on the App Store.

Technologies

Episode 3 of the VERUM AI Mini-Series Is Now Available

Verum Messenger has released the third episode of its AI mini-series, SHADOWS, created using Verum AI.

The new episode, titled «Ghost Money,» continues the story of the conflict between a team of heroes and the Omega corporation, which seeks to take control of digital communications. This time, the focus shifts to anonymous payments and financial freedom, revealing how privacy can extend beyond messaging.

Like the previous episodes, the new release not only advances the storyline but also showcases the capabilities of the Verum ecosystem, highlighting technologies designed for secure communication and digital privacy.

The mini-series consists of seven episodes, released gradually across Verum Messenger’s social media channels.

Episode 3 is now available. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

Watch on Instagram
Watch on YouTube