Whitebridge AI faces complaint over false reputation reports
Whitebridge AI, a Lithuanian company, is accused of generating false reputation reports using unlawfully scraped social media data. The reports contained false warnings for 'sexual nudity' and 'dangerous political content'. Privacy group Noyb filed a complaint with the Lithuanian data protection authority, alleging violations of the GDPR. The complainants sought access to their data but received no response, and were later required to provide a qualified electronic signature to correct errors.
- Company involved
- Whitebridge AI
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Post Office Horizon scandal falsely accused subpostmasters of theft
The Post Office's Horizon IT system, supplied by Fujitsu, falsely reported financial shortfalls at many branches across England and Wales. Subpostmasters like Pete Murray were wrongly accused of theft and prosecuted, leading to loss of livelihood, reputational damage, and in some cases suicide. A group litigation, Bates v Post Office, settled, but many victims are still seeking compensation and justice. The scandal remains under investigation by the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.
- Company involved
- Post Office
- AI system involved
- Horizon
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Tenant screening software denies housing to disabled Latino man in Connecticut
In 2016, Carmen Arroyo requested to move her disabled son Mikhail into a larger apartment in the same complex. The landlord, WinnResidential, used CoreLogic's CrimSafe tenant screening software, which flagged a dropped retail theft charge against Mikhail as disqualifying. The landlord rejected the application without explanation. Arroyo sued CoreLogic and WinnResidential under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Fair Housing Act, alleging that the software disproportionately excludes people of colour. The case was scheduled for trial in August 2021.
- Company involved
- WinnResidential
- AI system involved
- CrimSafe
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Scottish Prison Service freed eight life prisoners due to risk assessment system error
The Scottish Prison Service's Level of Service and Case Management System failed to update risk assessments when new information was entered, leading to incorrect risk scores for 495 closed cases and 285 open cases. As a result, eight prisoners serving life for murder or rape were granted temporary release without accurate risk assessments. Justice Secretary Keith Brown acknowledged the error and stated that the cases would be reviewed. Opposition politicians called for an apology, claiming the releases put the public at risk.
- Company involved
- Scottish Prison Service
- AI system involved
- Level of Service and Case Management System
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Software flaw misclassified women as children on Tui flight
A software flaw in Tui's reservation system misclassified 38 adult female passengers as children due to a language difference where 'Miss' is used for children in the programming country. This led to incorrect weight calculations for take-off on a flight from Birmingham to Majorca on 21 July 2020. The AAIB report stated that the safe operation of the aircraft was not compromised, and Tui corrected the fault.
- Company involved
- Tui
- AI system involved
- Reservation system
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Molly Russell inquest: teenager died after viewing graphic content on Instagram and Pinterest
Molly Russell, a 14-year-old from Harrow, London, died by suicide in November 2017 after viewing graphic content related to self-harm and suicide on Instagram and Pinterest. The inquest into her death began in September 2022, with executives from Meta and Pinterest giving evidence. Her father, Ian Russell, has campaigned for regulation of social media platforms to protect young people from harmful content.
- Company involved
- Meta (Instagram) and Pinterest
- AI system involved
- Instagram and Pinterest
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Thames Valley Police wrongfully arrest Asian man due to facial recognition error
Alvi Choudhury, a 26-year-old software engineer from Southampton, was arrested by Thames Valley Police for a burglary in Milton Keynes he had never visited. The arrest followed a retrospective facial recognition match that confused him with a younger, differently featured suspect of south Asian heritage. Choudhury was held for nearly 10 hours and released without charge. He is claiming damages and alleges the arrest was influenced by bias in the facial recognition technology.
- Company involved
- Thames Valley Police
- AI system involved
- Cognitec facial recognition
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Embodied shuts down, Moxie robot stops working for children
Embodied, the maker of the Moxie robot for autistic children, announced it is shutting down due to financial difficulties. As a result, the cloud-dependent Moxie robot will stop functioning within days. Customers report emotional distress as children lose their robotic companions, and no refunds are being offered.
- Company involved
- Embodied, Inc.
- AI system involved
- Moxie
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Prisma Labs wins arbitration in Lensa biometric privacy lawsuit
Artificial intelligence company Prisma Labs is accused of violating Illinois' biometric privacy law by collecting facial geometry data from users of its Lensa app. A proposed class action was filed, but a California federal judge granted Prisma's motion to compel arbitration because users agreed to it during sign-up. The plaintiff alleges the app collected his facial data without consent.
- Company involved
- Prisma Labs Inc.
- AI system involved
- Lensa AI
8 source articles · read the reporting →
PimEyes facial search engine accused of enabling stalking
Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch has filed a complaint against PimEyes, a facial recognition search engine, alleging it facilitates stalking and unlawfully processes biometric data of millions of UK citizens. The system allows users to search for faces in publicly posted images. PimEyes' CEO denies the allegations, stating the tool poses fewer risks than social media. The UK Information Commissioner's Office is assessing the complaint.
- Company involved
- PimEyes
- AI system involved
- PimEyes
9 source articles · read the reporting →
PimEyes facial recognition search makes children's images searchable without safeguards
PimEyes, an online facial recognition search engine, allows anyone to search for images of children scraped from public websites, including photos labeled as 'potentially explicit.' The system poses risks of stalking, exploitation, and privacy violations for minors. The company's owner acknowledged the issue and said it is working on safeguards, but no changes have been implemented.
- Company involved
- PimEyes
- AI system involved
- PimEyes
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Chester man wrongly accused of theft by Home Bargains face scan
Ian Clayton, 67, was wrongly accused of being a thief at a Home Bargains store in Chester after the store's facial recognition system, operated by Facewatch, flagged him as a shoplifter. The system incorrectly linked him to a theft he had no involvement in. Store staff asked him to leave in front of other customers, causing him emotional distress. Clayton contacted Facewatch, which removed his image and record after a review.
- Company involved
- Home Bargains
- AI system involved
- Facewatch
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Sears AI chatbot chats and audio files found exposed online - Mashable
The AI chatbot recorded and exposed customer conversations and personal data, affecting Sears Home Services customers.
- Company involved
- Transformco
- AI system involved
- Samantha
1 source article · read the reporting →
Starship delivery robot drives into Milton Keynes canal
On 28 July, a Starship Technologies delivery robot veered into a canal near New Bradwell in Milton Keynes. Bex Morgan, who was walking her dog, saw the robot drive straight into the water. The company, which runs the robots, fished it out and asked people to report any robot found 'swimming'.
- Company involved
- Starship Technologies
1 source article · read the reporting →
