Xpeng Motors Fined for Collecting Customer Facial Images Without Consent
Xpeng Motors was fined 100,000 yuan by Shanghai's market regulation authority for collecting 431,623 facial images of customers without consent. The company used surveillance cameras with facial recognition from a third-party supplier, Ulucu, to analyze customer traffic. Xpeng stated it removed the devices and deleted all data before the inspection, and that no data was leaked or misused.
- Company involved
- Xpeng Motors
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Truck drivers sue Motive over AI dash cam mass surveillance
Truck drivers Adam Dean and Christian Erickson filed a class action lawsuit against Motive Technologies Inc., alleging that the company's AI-powered dash cams with automatic license plate readers collected license plate data and tracked drivers' movements without consent. The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, claims violations of California's ALPR Law and seeks damages of $2,500 per class member. The drivers allege privacy invasion and emotional distress from the surreptitious surveillance.
- Company involved
- Motive Technologies Inc.
1 source article · read the reporting →
Tesla Recalls 360,000 Vehicles with Full Self-Driving Beta Over Crash Risk
Tesla is recalling more than 360,000 vehicles equipped with its Full Self-Driving Beta software after a government regulator found that the cars could proceed through intersections without stopping, posing a crash risk. The company said it would issue a remote software update to remedy the problem. The recall is a significant setback for Tesla's autonomous driving ambitions.
- Company involved
- Tesla
- AI system involved
- Full Self-Driving Beta
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Alcon Entertainment sues Tesla and Elon Musk over AI-generated Blade Runner 2049 imagery
Alcon Entertainment, the producer of Blade Runner 2049, has sued Tesla, Elon Musk, and Warner Bros Discovery, alleging they used AI to create promotional imagery based on the film for Tesla's robotaxi launch event on 10 October 2024. Alcon claims it had specifically denied a request from Warner Bros to use material from the film. The lawsuit alleges misappropriation and false endorsement, and describes the financial magnitude of the misappropriation as substantial.
- Company involved
- Tesla
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Ningbo police AI falsely accuses woman in bus ad of jaywalking
An AI jaywalking detection system used by police in Ningbo, China, mistakenly identified a photograph of Dong Mingzhu, head of Gree Electric, on a bus advertisement as a real person jaywalking. Her image and name were briefly displayed on a public shaming billboard. Police acknowledged the error, deleted the photo, and stated they would update the system to distinguish advertisements from people. Gree Electric thanked the police for their response.
- Company involved
- Ningbo police
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Hikvision sells Uyghur recognition system to Chinese authorities
Hikvision, a Chinese surveillance company, sold a facial recognition system powered by NVIDIA to authorities in the People's Republic of China. The system is designed to identify Uyghur individuals, enabling ethnic profiling and surveillance. The article reports that the system was marketed as a tool for public security and was deployed without transparency or accountability. No specific incident of harm is described, but the potential for widespread discrimination and human rights abuses is highlighted.
- Company involved
- Hikvision
- AI system involved
- Uyghur recognition system
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Google sues Chinese gang over AI-powered fraud targeting Americans
Google has filed a lawsuit against a Chinese cybercrime group called Outsider Enterprise, alleging it used Google's Gemini AI to create hundreds of fake websites impersonating companies and government services. The group allegedly sent millions of phishing messages to Android users, defrauding hundreds of thousands of Americans of millions of dollars. Google is coordinating with the FBI and wireless carriers to dismantle the network. The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, seeks an injunction to take down the operation.
- Company involved
- Outsider Enterprise
- AI system involved
- Gemini
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Intel and Class Technologies face criticism over emotion-detecting AI for students
Intel partnered with Class Technologies to use an AI system that analyses student emotions during Zoom classes to provide insights to teachers. Critics, including educator Todd Richmond, argued that facial expressions are not reliable indicators of internal states and that the system amounts to pseudoscience. The article reports these criticisms as allegations, not as proven fact. No specific incident of harm or regulatory action is reported.
- Company involved
- Intel
- AI system involved
- Class Technologies face-reading AI
10 source articles · read the reporting →
SenseNets silent after data leak exposes millions of people's records
SenseNets Technology Ltd., a Shenzhen-based facial recognition company, left a database containing personal information of more than 2.5 million people publicly accessible without password protection for months. Dutch security researcher Victor Gevers and the GDI Foundation discovered the exposure in July and warned the company, which did not respond. The database was secured in February after the leak was reported, and the company is reported to be conducting an internal investigation. SenseNets has declined to comment publicly.
- Company involved
- SenseNets Technology Ltd.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Texas AG Settles with Pieces Technologies Over Deceptive Healthcare AI Claims
The Texas Attorney General investigated Pieces Technologies, a Dallas-based healthcare AI company, for making false and misleading statements about the accuracy of its generative AI product used in hospitals. The company claimed an error rate of less than 1 per 100,000, but the investigation found these metrics were likely inaccurate. As part of the settlement, Pieces agreed to accurately disclose its product's accuracy and ensure hospital staff understand the appropriate reliance on its AI. The case marks the first-of-its-kind healthcare generative AI investigation by the AG.
- Company involved
- Pieces Technologies
4 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 →
Nvidia releases AI-powered Eye Contact feature for Broadcast app
Nvidia has released a beta version of Eye Contact, an AI-powered feature for its Broadcast app that replaces a user's eyes in video streams with simulated eyeballs that always face the camera. The feature is intended to maintain eye contact even when the user looks away, but social media response has been largely negative. A former TV news anchor said that unbroken eye contact can be regarded as creepy or uncomfortable.
- Company involved
- Nvidia
- AI system involved
- Eye Contact
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Tesla changed Sentry Mode after Dutch privacy investigation
Tesla's Sentry Mode security cameras recorded passersby without their consent, storing footage for long periods. The Dutch Data Protection Authority investigated and Tesla subsequently required owner approval and added headlight alerts. No fine was issued.
- Company involved
- Tesla
- AI system involved
- Sentry Mode
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Chinese tech companies patented Uyghur detection analytics
IPVM reported that Huawei, Megvii, SenseTime, and other Chinese tech companies filed patents in China for AI systems that can detect Uyghur ethnicity. The patents included Uyghur as a detectable attribute for facial recognition and image retrieval. The companies responded by saying they would amend or withdraw the patents, claiming the references were misunderstood or regrettable, while the technology is used by police for surveillance and targeting of Uyghurs.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Verkada security breach exposes customer video and data
In March 2021, attackers compromised Verkada's platform and accessed video and image data from 97 customer organisations. The attackers used a misconfigured customer support server to gain access and viewed live video, accessed badge credentials for eight customers, and downloaded user lists. Verkada cut off access within hours and notified affected customers. The attacker, Tillie Kottmann, was later indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice.
- Company involved
- Verkada
- AI system involved
- Verkada Command platform with People Analytics
10 source articles · read the reporting →
California regulator accuses Maxpread Technologies of using AI-generated fake CEO to scam investors
Maxpread Technologies allegedly used an AI-generated avatar to pose as its CEO in a YouTube video to deceive investors. The California DFPI issued cease and desist letters to Maxpread and four other companies for offering unqualified securities and making false promises. The regulator claims the companies promised high daily returns using AI trading, but these claims were false. Maxpread did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Maxpread Technologies
8 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 →
FTC settles with IntelliVision over deceptive facial recognition claims
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action against IntelliVision Technologies Corp. for making false, misleading, or unsubstantiated claims about its AI-powered facial recognition software. The company allegedly claimed its software had one of the highest accuracy rates on the market and was free of gender or racial bias, without supporting evidence. The FTC also alleged that IntelliVision did not train its software on millions of faces as claimed, but on images of approximately 100,000 individuals. Under a proposed consent order, IntelliVision is prohibited from making such misrepresentations without competent and reliable testing.
- Company involved
- IntelliVision Technologies Corp.
- AI system involved
- IntelliVision facial recognition software
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Broadcasters sue Naver for using news content in AI training without permission
KBS, MBC, and SBS filed a copyright lawsuit against Naver, alleging that Naver used their news articles to train its generative AI platforms HyperCLOVA and HyperCLOVA X without permission. The broadcasters' association had previously sent notices prohibiting such use and requested compensation, but Naver did not respond. Naver has since revised its terms and refrained from using news data without consent.
- Company involved
- Naver
- AI system involved
- HyperCLOVA, HyperCLOVA X
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Dahua facial recognition technology can sort by race and alert police when detecting Uighurs
Dahua Technologies, a Chinese surveillance camera company, developed facial recognition software that can classify individuals by race and send real-time warnings to police when it identifies Uighur people. Documents and code revealed the capability, though it is unclear if it has been deployed. Human rights advocates and Uighur individuals have expressed concern about potential surveillance and discrimination. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Dahua Technologies
- AI system involved
- Dahua facial recognition software
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Wacom responds to concerns about AI-generated images in marketing assets
Wacom acknowledged that it may have used AI-generated images in US marketing assets for the New Year. The company stated it purchased the images from a third-party vendor who indicated they were not AI-generated, and that it vetted them using online tools that also indicated they were not AI-generated. After community feedback raised doubts, Wacom discontinued the images and is reviewing its processes to prevent recurrence. The company attributed the incident to misleading vendor information and detection tool limitations.
- Company involved
- Wacom
10 source articles · read the reporting →
SAG-AFTRA files complaint against Epic Games over AI-generated Darth Vader voice in Fortnite
Actor union SAG-AFTRA has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Epic Games over its use of AI to recreate the voice of Darth Vader in Fortnite. The union alleges that Llama Productions, an Epic subsidiary, made unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment by using AI-generated voices to replace bargaining unit work without providing notice or opportunity to bargain. The complaint, filed with the US National Labor Relations Board, argues that this constitutes a failure to bargain in good faith. Epic Games has not yet responded to a request for comment.
- Company involved
- Epic Games
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Authors sue Nvidia for copyright infringement in NeMo AI training
Three authors have filed a proposed class action against Nvidia, alleging the company used their copyrighted books without permission to train its NeMo AI platform. The dataset, containing approximately 196,640 volumes, was removed in October 2023 after copyright infringement reports. The authors are seeking unspecified damages on behalf of US writers whose works were used in the past three years.
- Company involved
- Nvidia
- AI system involved
- NeMo
9 source articles · read the reporting →
YouTube creator sues Nvidia and OpenAI over video scraping
David Millette filed a federal lawsuit alleging Nvidia and OpenAI scraped his YouTube videos without permission to train their AI models. The lawsuit seeks class action status and alleges unjust enrichment and unfair competition. Nvidia denied wrongdoing, stating it respects content creators' rights.
- Company involved
- Nvidia
- AI system involved
- Cosmos AI
10 source articles · read the reporting →
