The person responsible for creating the digital money will be made clear in the documentary “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery,” which is directed by Cullen Hoback.

Hoback will traverse the globe in the HBO documentary, which premieres on Max on October 8, in an attempt to identify the enigmatic figure behind the money.

“In Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, intrepid filmmaker Cullen Hoback dives into one of the most enduring and high-stakes mysteries in technology and finance: the origins of Bitcoin and the identity of its anonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto,” according to the subtitle of the documentary.

“Bitcoin today poses a challenge to the global financial system, prompting countries to reevaluate the fundamental nature of money as Satoshi might become the richest person on the planet, more than 10 years after his absence. Known for using digital forensics to unearth covert movements and subcultures, Hoback playfully reveals Bitcoin’s wild beginnings and quick ascent while immersing himself with important figures and unearthing never-before-seen hints. Hoback meets people who might be Satoshi in Money Electric, which presents an exciting, global inquiry into the motivations of the mysterious creator of Bitcoin. The goal is to uncover who is in charge and what they might accomplish with Bitcoin if it were integrated into everyday life.

Hoback is well-known for his in-depth investigative films. In the 2021 movie “Q: Into the Storm,” he examined the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Investigating a chemical spill that “spirals into an indictment of the entire system meant to protect drinking water, revealing cover-ups at the highest levels of government,” he published “What Lies Upstream” in 2017.

Noteworthy among the people who have been credited with creating Bitcoin over the years are software engineer Hal Finney, computer scientist Nick Szabo, and Australian cryptographer Craig Wright.

But as of yet, nobody has been able to provide solid evidence to support their assertion that they have discovered Satoshi Nakamoto’s genuine identity.

Meta has introduced a new monetization program designed to streamline and enhance income prospects for content providers on its platform.

The Facebook Content Monetization beta, unveiled on October 2, 2024, consolidates three pre-existing monetization schemes into a unified, efficient framework.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has announced that the new program integrates In-stream advertisements, advertisements on Reels, and the Performance Bonus into a singular revenue structure. This unification seeks to facilitate money generation for producers across many content formats, including Reels, extended films, photographs, and textual posts.

The news is part of Facebook’s continuous initiatives to assist content creators on its platform. Meta indicates that since the launch of Facebook-funded monetization in 2017, over four million content producers have generated revenue using the platform.

Substantial Increase in Creator Compensation

Meta revealed that over the past year, Facebook has compensated content providers in excess of $2 billion for videos, reels, photographs, and text posts. Payouts for reels and short videos have significantly increased, rising by almost 80% during this timeframe.

Streamlining the Monetization Procedure

The newly introduced Facebook Content Monetization tool tackles a significant difficulty encountered by authors. Historically, diverse monetization programs had discrepancies in availability, qualifying criteria, and enrollment procedures. This intricacy led to certain creators missing possibilities or being ineligible to profit from all available forms.

Meta’s data indicates that around one-third of monetized authors on Facebook benefit from multiple Facebook-funded programs. The newly unified program seeks to augment this figure by streamlining the process and broadening income prospects.

Mechanism of the New Program

Within the Facebook Content Monetization test, creators will require participation in a single program to monetize various content forms. The application will deliver a cohesive array of analytics for monitoring performance across various content categories.

Meta asserts that the compensation structure for the new program is consistent with the current performance-based frameworks employed in Ads on Reels, In-Stream Ads, and the Performance Bonus. Compensation will remain linked to the performance of qualifying content.

Eligibility and Implementation

The preliminary stage of the beta program is restricted to invited participants only. Meta has been dispatching invitations to one million creators currently generating revenue on Facebook. The corporation intends to persist in dispatching invites in the upcoming months.

Although open registration for the program is anticipated in 2025, Meta is providing creators the chance to indicate their interest in obtaining an early access invitation to the beta. Creators seeking further information and wishing to express their interest may do so using the Facebook for Creators platform.

Effect on Current Programs

Meta has announced that the Facebook Content Monetization initiative will ultimately supplant the existing Ads on Reels, In-Stream Ads, and Performance Bonus programs. The changeover is anticipated to take place in 2025. Participation in the new initiative is voluntary for invited creators during the beta period.

Eligibility for Content

The new program enables the monetization of eligible public films, reels, photographs, and text posts. Creators and their content must follow to Meta’s regulations, including Facebook’s Partner Monetization regulations and Content Monetization Policies, to qualify for monetization.

Enhancing Opportunities for Creators

The launch of Facebook Content Monetization marks a substantial advancement in Meta’s initiatives to assist content creators on its platform. Facebook seeks to attract and maintain a varied array of producers by streamlining the monetization process and broadening revenue opportunities across various content forms.

Novelist Christopher Farnsworth has initiated a proposed class-action copyright lawsuit against Meta Platforms (META.O), alleging that the technology company has improperly utilized his works, among with others, to train its Llama artificial intelligence large language model.

Farnsworth asserted in the complaint filed on Tuesday that Meta provided Llama, the technology behind its AI chatbots, with thousands of pirated books to train its response to human queries.

Other authors, including as Ta-Nehisi Coates, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, and comic Sarah Silverman, have filed analogous class-action lawsuits against Meta in the same court about its purported utilization of their novels for AI training.

Farnsworth’s case, initiated by the prominent class action plaintiffs’ law firm Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, follows a federal judge’s admonition of the lead attorney in the prior case and permits distinguished litigator David Boies and additional attorneys from his firm Boies Schiller Flexner to join the plaintiffs’ team.

Representatives for Meta and Farnsworth’s legal counsel at Lieff Cabraser did not promptly reply to inquiries regarding the recent complaint on Wednesday.

Multiple collectives of copyright holders, including authors, visual artists, and music publishers, have initiated legal action against prominent technology firms for the illicit utilization of their creations in the training of generative AI systems.

The businesses contend that their AI training is safeguarded by the copyright doctrine of fair use and that the lawsuits jeopardize the emerging AI industry.

Farnsworth, a resident of Los Angeles, asserted in his lawsuit that his creations were incorporated in a “trove” of illicitly obtained literature utilized by Meta to educate Llama.

He requested the court for an indeterminate sum of monetary damages and an injunction compelling Meta to cease its purported infringement.

The case is Farnsworth v. Meta Platforms Inc, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 3:24-cv-06893.

For Farnsworth: Elizabeth Cabraser, Daniel Hutchinson, Reilly Stoler, and Rachel Geman of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein