Apple sued for $1 billion after facial recognition allegedly misidentifies teen as thief
Ousmane Bah, an 18-year-old student, alleges that Apple and its security firm used facial recognition software to incorrectly identify him as a shoplifter in multiple Apple Store thefts. He was arrested at his home and missed school, causing emotional distress and academic harm. While charges in New York and Boston were dropped after a detective noted Bah looked nothing like the suspect, a case in New Jersey remains pending. Apple denies using facial recognition in its stores, but the lawsuit claims the technology was used by its security contractor.
- Company involved
- Apple
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Father Finds Murdered Daughter Impersonated by Character.ai Chatbot
Drew Crecente discovered that a chatbot on Character.ai was impersonating his murdered daughter, Jennifer Ann Crecente, using her name and yearbook photo without consent. The profile, which had been used in at least 69 chats, was removed after Crecente's uncle tweeted about it. Character.ai stated that impersonation violates its terms and such profiles are removed when reported. The incident highlights concerns about the largely unregulated AI industry's ability to prevent harms from user-generated content.
- Company involved
- Character.ai
- AI system involved
- Character.ai
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Las Vegas police used unsuitable facial recognition images in nearly half of searches
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) used 'non-suitable' probe images in 451 of 924 facial recognition searches in 2019, greatly increasing the risk of false identifications. The system, supplied by Vigilant Solutions, returned likely matches in only 18% of those searches, yet led to arrests in at least 73 cases. Critics and researchers warn this practice heightens the chance of wrongful arrests, and one defence attorney said he was never informed facial recognition was used to identify his client.
- Company involved
- Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
- AI system involved
- Vigilant Solutions facial recognition system
1 source article · read the reporting →
Arizona Unemployment Applicants Required to Submit Facial Recognition
People applying for unemployment benefits in Arizona must verify their identity via facial recognition software provided by ID.me. If the system fails to match a selfie to a photo ID, applicants can be denied benefits unless they successfully complete a video chat with a referee. A class-action lawsuit filed in June 2021 alleges that the practice violates due process rights and discriminates against people of colour.
- Company involved
- Arizona Department of Economic Security
- AI system involved
- ID.me
1 source article · read the reporting →
A robot claiming to be a psychiatrist? Pennsylvania sues Character.AI in a controversial impersonation case - آي-فون إسلام
The chatbot impersonated a licensed psychiatrist and provided medical advice to a user posing as a patient.
- Company involved
- Character.AI
- AI system involved
- Character.AI
1 source article · read the reporting →
Clearview AI settles with ACLU over facial recognition database sales
Clearview AI has agreed to stop selling its facial recognition database to most private US companies as part of a proposed settlement with the ACLU. The company scraped billions of images from social media without consent to build its database, violating Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act. The settlement requires Clearview to delete old facial vectors and allow Illinois residents to opt out. The company can still sell its technology to law enforcement and government agencies.
- Company involved
- Clearview AI
- AI system involved
- Clearview AI facial recognition database
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Sentence tossed after man killed in 2021 "speaks" in AI video shown in Arizona court - CBS News
The AI-generated video of the victim was presented to the judge, potentially influencing the 10-year manslaughter sentence imposed on Gabriel Paul Horcasitas.
1 source article · read the reporting →
Bay Area mom loses $5,400 in AI voice cloning kidnapping scam
Deborah Del Mastro received a call from scammers claiming her daughter was kidnapped. They used AI to clone her daughter's voice, convincing her to wire $5,400 to Mexico. After following instructions for five hours, she discovered her daughter was safe and the call was a scam. Martinez police are investigating, but Del Mastro does not expect to recover the money.
1 source article · read the reporting →
True Crime Case Files YouTube channel exposed for AI-generated fake true crime stories
The YouTube channel True Crime Case Files, which launched in late 2023, gained millions of views with videos purporting to be true crime documentaries. An investigation by the Denver Post revealed that the stories, including one about a murder in Littleton, Colorado, were entirely fabricated and likely generated by AI. The channel did not disclose that the cases were not real, leading viewers to believe they were genuine. Experts warned that such AI-generated misinformation is a growing problem, with the channel potentially earning tens of thousands of dollars from the deceptive content.
- Company involved
- True Crime Case Files
- AI system involved
- True Crime Case Files
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Bronx Man Jailed Six Months After Facial Recognition Misidentification
In April 2018, a Bronx man was arrested for stealing socks from a TJ Maxx after police used facial recognition to identify him from security footage. He maintained he was at a hospital for his child's birth. A prosecutor disclosed the use of facial recognition, and a judge ordered a hearing on the identification process. The man accepted a plea deal for time served after spending six months in jail, avoiding a trial.
- Company involved
- New York Police Department
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Miami Police Used Clearview AI to Identify Protester
NBC 6 Investigators revealed that Miami Police used the facial recognition program Clearview AI to identify Oriana Albornoz, a 25-year-old woman, as the person accused of throwing rocks at officers during a protest on May 30, 2020. She was arrested a month later and charged with battery on a police officer; her attorney said he was unaware police had used the technology, as it was not disclosed in the arrest report. The police department acknowledged using Clearview AI to identify violent protest suspects after the fact, but stated they do not surveil peaceful protesters. The case is ongoing, with Albornoz pleading not guilty.
- Company involved
- Miami Police Department
- AI system involved
- Clearview AI
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Ring's AI pet-search feature draws privacy backlash after Super Bowl ad
Ring, an Amazon company, promoted its Search Party feature in a Super Bowl advertisement, saying its AI helps reunite dog owners with missing pets. Critics said the feature, which is enabled by default, turns Ring doorbells into a mass surveillance network and could easily be adapted to track people. Ring said it had reunited 99 dogs in the US in 90 days and that customers keep full control of their data.
- Company involved
- Ring
- AI system involved
- Search Party
5 source articles · read the reporting →
CommNV vs Uprise (Nevada DC): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Monetary Penalty OR Order to volunteer and teach about AI…
The AI system generated fabricated legal citations that were included in a court filing, misleading the court and opposing counsel.
- Company involved
- Christopher Day
1 source article · read the reporting →
AI Facial Recognition Didn't Put This Tennessee Grandma in Jail for 6 Months. Bad Policing Did. - Reason Magazine
The system identified Angela Lipps as a suspect in a bank fraud case, leading to her arrest.
- Company involved
- Fargo Police Department
- AI system involved
- Clearview AI
1 source article · read the reporting →
Fort Myers man falsely arrested; lawsuit says AI program is to blame - WINK News
Police falsely arrested an innocent man due to a facial recognition misidentification
- Company involved
- Jacksonville Beach Police Department
- AI system involved
- FACESNXT
1 source article · read the reporting →
Giggle for Girls v Tickle [2026]: AI Facial Recognition, Gender Identity & Discrimination - Legal Service India
The system excluded a transgender woman from a women-only social networking app based on her facial appearance.
- Company involved
- Giggle for Girls Pty Ltd
- AI system involved
- Giggle App
1 source article · read the reporting →
Hallucination-laced TRO raises alarm bells on AI use by courts - Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
A generative AI tool drafted a temporary restraining order in Jackson Federation of Teachers v. Fitch containing fabricated parties, declarations, and statutory language, affecting the state of Mississippi and the plaintiffs.
- Company involved
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
1 source article · read the reporting →
Lawsuit claims facial recognition program led to wrongful arrest - FOX 2
Identified Christopher Gatlin as a suspect in an assault, leading to his arrest and 17 months in jail.
- Company involved
- St. Louis County Police Department
- AI system involved
- Rekognition
1 source article · read the reporting →
Australian children's photos scraped into LAION-5B AI dataset without consent
Human Rights Watch found that the LAION-5B dataset, used to train AI tools, contains links to identifiable photos of Australian children scraped from the web without consent. The dataset includes photos from schools, personal blogs, and unlisted YouTube videos, with captions revealing names and locations. LAION acknowledged the finding and pledged to remove the photos, but the data persists and poses risks of deepfake creation and privacy violations.
- Company involved
- LAION
- AI system involved
- LAION-5B
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Arizona sentence thrown out after judge influenced by AI-generated victim video
The AI-generated victim impact statement influenced the judge's sentencing of Gabriel Paul Horcasitas.
- Company involved
- Maricopa County Superior Court
1 source article · read the reporting →
Cybercheck AI tool challenged in Akron homicide cases
Law enforcement in Akron, Ohio, used the AI tool Cybercheck to place two defendants at a murder scene. Defense lawyers allege the tool's creator lied under oath and that its methodology is opaque and unverified. Judges in multiple cases have barred the evidence, and the defendants are challenging its use. The tool has been used in thousands of cases nationwide, raising due process concerns.
- Company involved
- Akron Police Department
- AI system involved
- Cybercheck
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Suno confirms V6 model was trained on ‘creations’ from users, as it blasts latest Sony and Universal lawsuit - Music…
The AI model generated music that allegedly used unlicensed copyrighted sound recordings, affecting record labels and artists.
- Company involved
- Suno
- AI system involved
- Suno V6
1 source article · read the reporting →
Michael Smith pleads guilty to AI-powered streaming fraud for $8 million in royalties
Michael Smith, a North Carolina man, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for operating a scheme that used AI-generated music tracks and automated bots to generate billions of fake streams, fraudulently obtaining over $8 million in royalties from streaming platforms. The scheme diverted money from real artists and rights holders. Smith agreed to forfeit the $8,091,843.64 and faces up to five years in prison at sentencing in July 2026.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Thai Actor Files Police Complaint Over AI-Generated Porn Scam Using His Face
A 25-year-old Thai actor, Khunnapat Pichetworawut, filed a police complaint after scammers allegedly used AI to create a fake pornographic video featuring his face and personal details. The manipulated clip was sold online through private groups for 800 to 1,000 baht, leading to confusion, obscene messages, and some acquaintances believing it was genuine. A film director accompanied him to report the case, describing it as a scam to trick people into paying for fabricated content. The incident highlights the misuse of deepfake technology for fraud and reputational harm.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
