📰 New article from TorrentFreak
Copyright Scammers Weaponized Meta’s Rights Manager with Backdating Exploit
https://torrentfreak.com/copyright-scammers-weaponized-metas-rights-manager-with-backdating-exploit/
It turns out Meta’s copyright enforcement tool has a glaring blind spot: time travel. Scammers in India have discovered a clever loophole in Facebook and Instagram’s Rights Manager system, using a simple “Edit Post” feature to backdate stolen content. By uploading pirated videos to old, dormant accounts, they trick the platform into believing the infringing material is years old. This allows them to claim ownership, monetize the original creator’s work, and even issue takedown strikes against the actual owners.
The results are chaotic. Financial educator Pushkar Raj Thakur had 36 videos removed globally despite being the rightful owner. His lawsuit against Meta highlights a disturbing lack of due diligence; the platform acted on false claims without verifying metadata or the claimant’s history. While Meta has offered some assurances to restore his content, Thakur is seeking significant damages and demanding stricter safeguards like KYC checks and timestamp protections.
The legal pressure is mounting fast. Another creator, Neeraj Joshi, secured a court order forcing Meta to hand over IP logs and subscriber data to identify the bad actors. Meanwhile, a third public interest litigation is challenging the very IT rules that allow platforms to disable accounts without notice. Meta’s silence is deafening, especially since its last transparency report is over two years old. It’s clear that an automated system designed to protect creators is currently being weaponized against them, and Meta needs to patch this loophole—and update its reporting—stat.