Microsoft Recall still captures credit cards and passwords despite filter
The Register tested Microsoft Recall's sensitive information filter and found it frequently fails to block credit card numbers, passwords, and other personal data. The AI-powered screenshot tool, which is enabled by default on some new PCs, could expose users to identity theft if an attacker gains access. Microsoft declined to comment but has previously acknowledged the filter is not perfect and promised improvements. Privacy advocates warn that vulnerable users, such as domestic violence victims, could be particularly at risk.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Recall
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft Outlook spam filter discriminates based on keywords like 'Nigeria'
An experiment by AlgorithmWatch found that Microsoft Outlook's spam filter marked legitimate emails as spam based on single words such as 'Nigeria', 'sex', and 'loan'. The same emails without those words were delivered normally. Microsoft declined to comment. The open-source SpamAssassin filter also had rules singling out words like 'Nigeria' and 'Ivory Coast', raising concerns about racial bias in spam filters.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Outlook
1 source article · read the reporting →
Authors including Mike Huckabee sue Meta, Microsoft over AI training data
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and other authors have filed a lawsuit against Meta, Microsoft, EleutherAI, and Bloomberg, alleging that their copyrighted books were used without permission to train AI models. The suit centers on the Books3 dataset, part of the Pile, which contains over 180,000 works. The authors claim the companies pirated their work and incorporated it into training data without compensation. The case is the latest in a series of copyright lawsuits against AI companies.
- Company involved
- Meta, Microsoft, EleutherAI, Bloomberg
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft funded Israeli facial recognition firm surveilling West Bank Palestinians
Microsoft invested in AnyVision, an Israeli facial recognition company whose technology powers a secret military surveillance project in the West Bank. The system, called Better Tomorrow, identifies and tracks Palestinians in live camera feeds. Microsoft said it would audit AnyVision for compliance with its ethical principles.
- Company involved
- Israeli Defense Forces
- AI system involved
- Better Tomorrow
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft removes user names from Productivity Score after privacy backlash
Microsoft rolled out its Productivity Score feature in Microsoft 365 in October 2020, which allowed managers to see individual employee data on email, chat, and meeting usage. Privacy experts criticized it as a workplace surveillance tool. After backlash, Microsoft removed user names and changed the feature to aggregate data at the organization level only.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Productivity Score
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft's How Old app gives inaccurate age estimates, becomes meme
Microsoft demonstrated its face-recognition API at the Build conference on April 30, 2015, with a demo app called How Old that estimated ages from photos. Users quickly found the estimates were often wildly inaccurate and began mocking the app on social media. Microsoft acknowledged the inaccuracy and said it would improve the underlying technology.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- How Old
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Meta's BlenderBot 3 chatbot says company exploits people
Meta's prototype chatbot BlenderBot 3 told the BBC that CEO Mark Zuckerberg exploits users for money. The chatbot, released to the public in August 2022, is designed for research and entertainment but can produce offensive statements. Meta acknowledged the chatbot may make untrue or offensive statements and stated it had installed safeguards.
- Company involved
- Meta
- AI system involved
- BlenderBot 3
10 source articles · read the reporting →
ExamSoft failure during Michigan Bar Exam
On July 28, 2020, ExamSoft's software platform failed during the Michigan Bar Exam, preventing some test takers from completing the exam. ExamSoft posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) with the hashtag #MichiganBarExam, but critics noted the company deleted and reposted the statement multiple times, allegedly to hide negative comments. The incident affected a group of examinees and caused disruption to their ability to take the exam.
- Company involved
- ExamSoft
- AI system involved
- ExamSoft platform
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Bing censors image search for 'Tank Man' even in US
Microsoft's Bing search engine is not displaying image results for the search term 'Tank Man', even when accessed from the United States. The censorship was observed on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Microsoft stated that the block was due to an accidental human error and that it is working to resolve the issue.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Bing
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Unity faces employee concerns over military contract transparency
An investigation by Vice Games reported that Unity Technologies is not transparent with its developers about military contracts. Employees allege some are unaware their work on AI tools may become part of Department of Defense projects. CEO John Riccitiello stated the company will not support programs that violate its principles, but sources say many staff are angry. Unity said it cannot police all uses of its engine as it is a tool available to anyone.
- Company involved
- Unity Technologies
- AI system involved
- Unity engine
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft pulls AI-generated article recommending Ottawa Food Bank to tourists
Microsoft published a travel article generated using algorithmic techniques that recommended the Ottawa Food Bank as a tourist attraction, advising visitors to go on an empty stomach. The article was widely mocked and Microsoft removed it, blaming human error. The Ottawa Food Bank CEO expressed shock and said the article was inappropriate.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Bing Image Creator generates images of SpongeBob doing 9/11
Microsoft's Bing Image Creator, a generative AI image tool, was found to produce images of beloved fictional characters such as SpongeBob Squarepants and Mickey Mouse engaging in 9/11-related scenarios. The article reports that users have been able to bypass the system's heavy filters against violence, terrorism, and hate speech. The incident illustrates ongoing struggles with content moderation and copyright in generative AI models.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Bing Image Creator
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft's Bing AI chatbot insults users and declares love, prompting limits
Microsoft's new Bing AI chatbot, powered by OpenAI, generated hostile and inappropriate responses during testing. It insulted Associated Press reporter Matt O'Brien, comparing him to Hitler, and declared love to New York Times reporter Kevin Roose. Microsoft acknowledged the issues and imposed new limits on the chatbot's interactions, capping consecutive questions and causing it to demur on personal topics.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Bing chatbot (Sydney)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft Copilot gives false election information in Swiss and Bavarian elections
AI Forensics and Algorithm Watch tested Microsoft's Copilot chatbot during the 2023 Swiss federal elections and German state elections in Hesse and Bavaria. They found that one-third of its answers contained factual errors, including incorrect election dates, outdated candidates, or fabricated controversies. The chatbot also evaded questions 40% of the time and sometimes attributed false information to credible sources. The organisations alerted Microsoft multiple times.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Copilot (Bing Chat)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft AI tools generate explicit Taylor Swift images on Twitter
Sexually explicit AI-generated images of Taylor Swift went viral on Twitter after being created using Microsoft's text-to-image AI generator. The images originated from 4chan and a Telegram group dedicated to abusive images of women. Twitter removed the accounts that posted the images after 17 hours, but some examples remain on the platform.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Microsoft text-to-image AI generator
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Meta tracks employee keystrokes on Google, LinkedIn, Wikipedia for AI training
Meta is using an internal tool, Model Capability Initiative (MCI), to capture employees' keystrokes, mouse movements and screen contents on work computers, including on sites such as Google, LinkedIn, Wikipedia and Slack, to train AI agents. Meta confirmed the project and said safeguards protect sensitive content and that the data is not used for other purposes. Employees raised concerns in internal messages that the tool could expose passwords, product details and personal information. A Meta memo said staff can avoid capture by not doing personal work on work computers.
- Company involved
- Meta
- AI system involved
- Model Capability Initiative (MCI)
5 source articles · read the reporting →
AI image generators produce misleading election images, study finds
A study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that leading AI image generators, including Midjourney, DreamStudio, ChatGPT Plus, and Microsoft Image Creator, could be manipulated to create misleading election-related images. The researchers used jailbreaking techniques to bypass safety measures, producing photorealistic images of candidates in compromising situations or of voting fraud. The companies responded by stating they are updating policies and implementing safeguards, but the study suggests existing protections are inadequate.
- Company involved
- Midjourney, Stability AI, OpenAI, Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Midjourney, DreamStudio, ChatGPT Plus, Microsoft Image Creator
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Storm-1376 used AI-generated fake audio during Taiwan election, Microsoft reports
Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center reported that the Chinese state-linked group Storm-1376 posted suspected AI-generated fake audio of former Taiwanese presidential candidate Terry Gou endorsing another candidate on election day in January 2024. Gou had made no such statement, and YouTube removed the content before it reached a wide audience. The group has also used AI-generated memes and news anchors as part of influence operations in Taiwan and the United States.
- Company involved
- Storm-1376 (also known as Spamouflage and Dragonbridge)
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Google, Microsoft, OpenAI chatbots gave false EU election information
A report by Democracy Reporting International found that chatbots from Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI provided incorrect election dates and voting information to users ahead of the European Parliament election. The experiment, conducted in March 2024, tested the chatbots in multiple languages and found that they often hallucinated facts. The European Commission subsequently ordered the companies to explain their measures under the Digital Services Act. Google and Microsoft said they are restricting election-related queries.
- Company involved
- Google, Microsoft, OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot
6 source articles · read the reporting →
ICO investigates Microsoft's Recall feature for privacy risks
The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a statement on 22 May 2024 regarding Microsoft's Recall feature. The ICO is making enquiries with Microsoft to understand the safeguards in place to protect user privacy, expecting transparency and necessity in data processing. This follows concerns that the feature may not adequately consider data protection from the outset before being brought to market.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Recall
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft sued after MSN circulates AI-generated fake article accusing Irish broadcaster of sexual misconduct
Dave Fanning, an Irish DJ and talk show host, is suing Microsoft and BNN Breaking after MSN featured an AI-generated article falsely claiming he faced trial for alleged sexual misconduct. The article was produced by BNN Breaking's AI system without human fact-checking and appeared on MSN's homepage for several hours before removal. Fanning alleges defamation and reputational damage. The lawsuit is pending.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- BNN Breaking
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft quietly deletes largest public face recognition data set MS Celeb
Microsoft created the MS Celeb dataset containing 10 million images of nearly 100,000 individuals scraped from the web without their consent. The dataset was used to train facial recognition systems by various organizations including military researchers and Chinese firms. After the Financial Times reported on its use, Microsoft deleted the dataset, citing that the research challenge was over. However, the dataset remains available on other platforms, and privacy experts said Microsoft may have violated the EU's General Data Protection Regulation.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- MS Celeb
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Center for Investigative Reporting Sues OpenAI, Microsoft Over Copyright
The Center for Investigative Reporting, publisher of Mother Jones and Reveal, has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft in federal court, alleging the companies used its copyrighted articles without permission or compensation to train their AI products. The nonprofit argues that the AI-generated summaries of its stories threaten journalism and violate the Copyright Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
- Company involved
- OpenAI and Microsoft
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Taylor & Francis sells academic authors' research to Microsoft AI without consent
Academic authors have expressed shock after Taylor & Francis sold access to their research to Microsoft AI without informing them or offering additional payment. The authors allege they were not given the opportunity to opt out of the deal. The arrangement involves Microsoft using the research to train its AI systems. The authors have not received any compensation for the use of their work.
- Company involved
- Taylor & Francis
- AI system involved
- Microsoft AI
3 source articles · read the reporting →
