Journalists hid an AirTag in a used book because they wanted to check where large orders of old books go. It was found that Amazon is said to be buying books on a large scale to use them for AI training and then destroy them. Amazon denies the allegations and stated that they buy used books to improve their services.
For some time, there have been allegations that companies buy printed books to train their AI, only to subsequently destroy the books. In 2025, the company Anthropic (Claude) faced a court, but the decision was made in favor of the AI company.
Now, 404 Media, an online news portal, partnered with a bookseller and hid an AirTag in a used book. They wanted to find out where the used books ultimately end up. Particularly spicy: According to journalists, the book could be traced back to an AI training facility of Amazon in Las Vegas.
Amazon denies the allegations, but 404 Media is confident that they have conclusive proof that AI companies destroy books for training purposes.
Book with AirTag ends up in an Amazon AI training facility and is destroyed there
What was done exactly? The magazine 404 Media reported in a detailed report that they had contacted a bookseller who agreed to hide an AirTag in a rare book that was part of a large order.
The order with the AirTag could subsequently be traced back to an Amazon AI training facility in Las Vegas.
Amazon itself declined to comment on 404 Media’s findings and stated in an official statement that they buy books to improve their own products. AI and also the further use of the books is not explained in detail.
Amazon purchases books through commercial channels to further develop and improve the products and services our customers use.
AI companies buy used books in bulk, but this leads to new problems
Booksellers are facing a dilemma here: On the one hand, they are making good money because large quantities of unsold items are ordered in second-hand bookshops that nobody else wants. For example, the Tagesschau reports. It’s not just about small amounts of money. The magazine quotes a bookseller:
For example, a book was sold for five euros, which incurred 40 euros in shipping costs. In total, this resulted in a medium five-figure amount for us. Every day, a very, very significant order came in.
Money that one did not want to give up, as the books otherwise no one would want.
On the other hand, valuable books are being destroyed and lost forever. And the German Publishers and Booksellers Association protests, “In our opinion, such a training practice is a clear violation of copyright.”
AirTags continue to provide curious or strange insights. In one case, a German packed parcels with an AirTag that he wanted to send to North Korea. How many packages ultimately really arrived? Read about it on MeinMMO: A German YouTuber wants to send packages to North Korea – A small gadget shows him how DHL tricks
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