Whole Foods uses heat map to track unionization risk at stores
Whole Foods, owned by Amazon, is reportedly using a heat map that scores stores on their risk of unionization. The system analyses metrics including local union membership, NLRB charges, employee compensation, diversity, and internal sentiment surveys. The tool is used to monitor and potentially prevent union organising efforts. Whole Foods stated it prefers a direct relationship with employees, while Amazon has a history of aggressively combating unionization.
- Company involved
- Whole Foods Market
1 source article · read the reporting →
California AG declares out-of-state ALPR data sharing unlawful
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued guidance confirming that sharing automated license plate reader (ALPR) data with out-of-state or federal agencies violates state law SB 34. The decision follows years of advocacy by EFF and the ACLU, who demonstrated through public records that many California law enforcement agencies were sharing data with hundreds of external agencies, including ICE and CBP. The guidance mandates that all California agencies review their data sharing and cut off access to out-of-state and federal entities.
- Company involved
- California law enforcement agencies
- AI system involved
- Automated license plate readers (ALPRs)
1 source article · read the reporting →
Former Brunswick County deputy charged with misusing Flock system - WECT
A former Brunswick County deputy is charged with misusing the Flock license-plate reader system to look up several people's license-plate information without a legitimate law enforcement purpose.
- Company involved
- Flock Safety
- AI system involved
- Flock
1 source article · read the reporting →
Steak 'n Shake sued over facial recognition kiosks under BIPA
A class action lawsuit alleges that Steak 'n Shake illegally collects facial biometrics from customers using PopID-powered self-ordering kiosks without proper consent. Plaintiff Michael Massel claims the restaurant chain failed to provide notice and obtain written consent as required by Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The suit seeks damages of up to $5,000 per violation for anyone whose biometric data was collected in Illinois in the past five years.
- Company involved
- Steak 'n Shake
- AI system involved
- PopID biometric kiosks
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Macy's and Sunglass Hut facial recognition misidentifies man, leading to wrongful jailing
Harvey Eugene Murphy Jr was misidentified by facial recognition software used by Sunglass Hut and Macy's as the perpetrator of an armed robbery. He was arrested and jailed, where he alleges he was beaten and raped. His alibi was later confirmed and charges were dropped. He is suing the companies for $10 million in damages.
- Company involved
- Macy's and EssilorLuxottica
3 source articles · read the reporting →
ICE Agents Stored Photos and License Plates of Protest Observers in Palantir-Built Database, Court Filing Reveals - Latin Times
A court filing alleges ICE agents stored photos and license plates of protest observers in a Palantir-built database, labeled some of them as threats, and ran facial recognition searches on them.
- Company involved
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- AI system involved
- ICM (Investigative Case Management system)
1 source article · read the reporting →
NHTSA investigation PE25012: Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged
The system made driving decisions that violated traffic safety laws, affecting other road users.
- Company involved
- Tesla, Inc.
- AI system involved
- Full Self Driving (FSD)
1 source article · read the reporting →
OpenClaw vulnerabilities enable data leakage and prompt injection
In January 2026, researchers at Giskard exploited a deployment of OpenClaw, an open-source agentic AI. They found that architectural weaknesses in the Control UI and session management allowed prompt injection and unauthorized tool use, leading to potential data leakage across user sessions. The article outlines hardening steps to prevent such vulnerabilities.
- AI system involved
- OpenClaw
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Thailand halts iris-scan crypto scheme and deletes 1.2m biometric records
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) and the Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC) ordered a company to stop collecting iris data and delete 1.2 million citizen records. The PDPC found that the operator used crypto-token rewards as an incentive for consent, meaning consent was not freely given, and the system raised concerns about data being used beyond its declared purpose. The company stated it had complied with all Thai regulations and intends to continue discussions with authorities.
- Company involved
- The company behind the iris-scan system (not named)
- AI system involved
- Iris-scan system
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 →
Sainsbury's ejects man misidentified by facial recognition software
Warren Rajah was told to leave a Sainsbury's supermarket in Elephant and Castle, London, after staff incorrectly identified him as an offender flagged by Facewatch facial recognition software. The error occurred at the human verification stage, not the technology itself. Sainsbury's apologised and offered a £75 shopping voucher, and Facewatch confirmed Rajah was not on its database. Rajah criticised the lack of explanation and recourse, and expressed concern for vulnerable customers.
- Company involved
- Sainsbury's
- AI system involved
- Facewatch
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Police Investigator Accused of Making Over 4,000 Illegal Flock Camera Searches - Futurism
The system allowed unauthorized tracking of individuals' vehicles through license plate recognition, affecting five subjects including an ex-girlfriend who was searched 3,000 times.
- Company involved
- Albany County Sheriff's Office
- AI system involved
- Flock Safety ALPR
1 source article · read the reporting →
Two Florida deputies arrested for Flock, ALPR abuse after TCPalm query - Yahoo
The Flock ALPR system was used by deputies to track the locations of a woman and a teenage girl for personal, non-law-enforcement purposes.
- Company involved
- Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
- AI system involved
- Flock Safety ALPR
1 source article · read the reporting →
DOJ, Pinnacle reach settlement in RealPage case - Yahoo Finance
The system recommended rent prices to landlords, affecting renters' housing costs.
- Company involved
- Pinnacle Property Management Services
- AI system involved
- RealPage
1 source article · read the reporting →
Hackers Extract Encryption Keys from Flock Surveillance Cameras, Revealing Person Detection Alongside Vehicle Tracking - finance.biggo.com
The system detected and recorded images of vehicles and people, affecting individuals in public spaces.
- Company involved
- Flock Safety
- AI system involved
- Flock Safety ALPR cameras
1 source article · read the reporting →
New Meta smart glasses class action gives employers a reason to write the policy they've been puttin - hcamag.com
The smart glasses recorded bystanders without their consent and sent the footage to Meta for AI training.
- Company involved
- Meta Platforms
- AI system involved
- Meta AI-enabled Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses
1 source article · read the reporting →
AI-NOMIS data breach exposes thousands of AI-generated deepfake images
Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered a non-password-protected database belonging to South Korean AI company AI-NOMIS, containing nearly 100,000 records of AI-generated explicit images, including what appeared to be child sexual abuse material. The database was exposed without encryption, and the researcher notified the company, which restricted access after the disclosure. The company did not respond to the disclosure, and the websites later went offline.
- Company involved
- AI-NOMIS
- AI system involved
- GenNomis
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Judge Rules Sheriff Deputy's Warrantless Flock License-Plate Tracking Unconstitutional - Military.com
A sheriff's deputy pulled a month of a woman's location history from a networked license-plate-reader database without a warrant.
- Company involved
- Tulsa County Sheriff's Office
- AI system involved
- Flock
1 source article · read the reporting →
NHTSA investigation PE24015: Rear-end Collisions Involving Zoox Vehicles
Automated driving system controlled vehicle braking and acceleration, leading to rear-end collisions with other road users
- Company involved
- Zoox
- AI system involved
- Zoox vehicle
1 source article · read the reporting →
Spanish data regulator orders Worldcoin to stop processing biometric data in Spain
The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has ordered a precautionary measure against Tools for Humanity Corporation, the company behind Worldcoin, to cease collection and processing of personal data in Spain. The AEPD received complaints alleging insufficient information, collection of data from minors, and inability to withdraw consent. The regulator acted under GDPR Article 66.1 to prevent potentially irreparable harm to individuals' data protection rights.
- Company involved
- Tools for Humanity Corporation
- AI system involved
- Worldcoin
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Mr Craig Hadley wrongly accused of fraud at Sports Direct shop using Facewatch facial recognition.
Mr Craig Hadley was wrongly accused of being a fraudster at a Rotherham Sports Direct shop using facial recognition technology supplied by Facewatch. The system flagged him as a known fraudster, but the alert was later attributed to human error. Big Brother Watch, a privacy campaign group, has raised concerns about the lack of due process in such systems.
- Company involved
- Sports Direct
- AI system involved
- Facewatch
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Portuguese regulator suspends Worldcoin's biometric data collection
Portugal's data protection authority, CNPD, has ordered Worldcoin Foundation to suspend collection of iris, eye and facial biometric data in Portugal for 90 days. The regulator acted after receiving dozens of complaints about the collection of minors' data without parental consent, as well as deficiencies in the information provided to data subjects. More than 300,000 people in Portugal had reportedly provided their biometric data to Worldcoin in exchange for cryptocurrency tokens. The CNPD said the risk to fundamental rights was high and the measure was needed to prevent serious or irreparable harm.
- Company involved
- Worldcoin Foundation
- AI system involved
- Orb
5 source articles · 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 →
Whiteside County sergeant misused license plate reader data, resigned; state police reviewing case: Sheriff - Shaw Local
The system collected license plate data on vehicles, and the sergeant accessed it without a legitimate law enforcement purpose.
- Company involved
- Flock Safety
- AI system involved
- Flock Safety ALPR
1 source article · read the reporting →
