The public record

Where automated decisions went wrong

Incidents gathered from public reporting around the world. Each one links to the articles it came from. None of it is a finding that anyone broke the law.

Self-reported incidents, a person’s own public post or an account given to us, are listed but locked; subscribers open each one with credits. Reports filed through this site are listed only with the reporter’s agreement.

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4,737 incidentspress and self-reported

Page 118 of 198

Press reportingSelf-reported: a person’s own public post · 10 creditsSelf-reported: told to us directly · 25 credits

WF-5UK5JSHappened 1 Jan 2019Live 5 Oct 2026
Deepfake video of Gabon's President Ali Bongo leads to coup attempt
In December 2018, the government of Gabon released a New Year's address video of President Ali Bongo, who had been absent from public view due to a stroke. Critics and political opponents alleged the video was a deepfake, citing unnatural facial movements and blinking patterns. The controversy contributed to an unsuccessful coup attempt by the military one week later. The authenticity of the video remains unconfirmed, with experts divided on whether it was manipulated.
Company
Government of Gabon
10 source articlesmotherjones.com
WF-PPMTGCHappened 15 Jan 2020Live 5 Oct 2026
Walmart employees claim Everseen anti-theft AI is flawed
A group of Walmart employees, calling themselves the Concerned Home Office Associates, alleged that the Everseen AI system used in thousands of stores to prevent shoplifting frequently produces false positives, flagging innocent customer behaviour as theft. They created a video showing the system failing to stop actual theft and mistakenly alerting for a phone. Employees said the false positives frustrate customers and lead to unnecessary interventions, raising public health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Walmart denied a widespread issue but said it had made improvements.
Company
Walmart
AI system
Everseen
9 source articleswired.com
WF-PNZ69YHappened 15 Dec 2020Live 5 Oct 2026
Dutch supermarket warned against using facial recognition for theft prevention
A Dutch supermarket, whose name has not been made public, deployed a facial recognition system at its entrance to identify suspected thieves and other threats. The Dutch Data Protection Authority warned the store on December 15, 2020, that this practice would violate Dutch privacy rules and the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as customers had not given explicit consent. The store claimed it had found a regulatory loophole, but the regulator rejected this argument, stating that the system's indiscriminate recording and analysis of all customers was not in the public interest. The store's name and whether it can appeal the decision remain unknown.
Company
Unnamed Dutch supermarket (possibly Jumbo)
AI system
Facial recognition system
9 source articlesbiometricupdate.com
WF-GZKEHBHappened 24 Feb 2014Live 5 Oct 2026
Publishers withdraw over 120 computer-generated gibberish papers
Publishers withdrew more than 120 papers from subscription databases after a scientist revealed they were computer-generated by the SCIgen automatic paper generator. The papers contained nonsensical text and were published in conference proceedings. The withdrawal followed an investigation by Cyril Labbé, who identified the generated papers.
AI system
SCIgen
9 source articlesnature.com
WF-2K8ESGHappened 1 Mar 2019Live 5 Oct 2026
Fraudsters use AI voice deepfake to trick UK energy firm CEO into transferring $243,000
In March 2019, criminals used commercially available AI voice-generation software to impersonate the CEO of a German parent company. They tricked the CEO of a UK-based energy firm into urgently wiring $243,000 to a Hungarian supplier. The fraud was discovered when the fraudsters attempted a second transfer, which the CEO refused. The company was insured and the loss was covered.
Company
Unnamed UK-based energy firm
AI system
Commercially available voice-generating AI software
10 source articlesthenextweb.com
WF-V2XNV1Happened 1 Jul 2021Live 5 Oct 2026
TikTok's hate speech detection flags Black Lives Matter as inappropriate
TikTok's hate speech detection system erroneously flagged phrases such as 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Black success' as inappropriate in its Creator Marketplace, while not flagging 'white supremacy' or 'white success'. Black creator Ziggi Tyler discovered the issue and posted viral videos expressing frustration. TikTok acknowledged the error, attributing it to a word-order bug, and said it is working to fix it. Some Black creators remain dissatisfied, citing a pattern of racial bias in content moderation.
Company
TikTok
AI system
TikTok Creator Marketplace hate speech detection system
7 source articlesvox.com
WF-XF6NXOHappened 1 Mar 2019Live 5 Oct 2026
YouTube algorithm radicalized Christchurch shooter leading to mosque attack
In March 2019, a terrorist killed 51 worshippers in two New Zealand mosques. A New Zealand government report found that YouTube's recommendation algorithm was a significant source of radicalization for the shooter, who regularly watched extremist content. YouTube has since taken steps to remove hate speech content but researchers say the underlying business model and opaque algorithms still enable radicalization.
Company
YouTube (Google)
AI system
YouTube recommendation algorithm
10 source articleswired.com
WF-ROUSJNHappened 13 Aug 2019Live 5 Oct 2026
Facebook hired contractors to transcribe Messenger voice calls
Facebook hired contractors to listen to and transcribe select voice conversations made through its Messenger platform, without users' knowledge, in order to improve artificial intelligence. The practice was exposed by Bloomberg, prompting Facebook to pause the program. The Irish Data Protection Commission stated it was seeking details from Facebook on compliance with GDPR.
Company
Facebook
AI system
Messenger
10 source articlescnbc.com
WF-NAZJJMHappened 1 Jan 2018Live 5 Oct 2026
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
Israeli Defense Forces
AI system
Better Tomorrow
10 source articlesnbcnews.com
WF-JO505BLive 5 Oct 2026
Amazon's recommendation algorithm promotes anti-vaccine misinformation
Amazon's recommendation system is promoting anti-vaccine misinformation, according to a CNN investigation. The article found that searches for vaccine information on Amazon return anti-vaccination books and videos, and that the platform's 'customers also bought' feature recommends such content. Amazon said it trusts customers to make informed decisions and did not say it would change its systems.
Company
Amazon
10 source articlesedition.cnn.com
WF-SJGQVPLive 5 Oct 2026
Instacart's rating and fraud detection system unfairly penalizes shoppers
Instacart shoppers allege that the company's automated rating and fraud detection system unfairly penalizes them for issues outside their control, such as customer fraud. The system assigns low ratings and blames shoppers for missing items, leading to reduced pay and deactivation. The Gig Workers Collective has sent an open letter to CEO Fidji Simo demanding changes including higher base pay, item commission, and occupational death benefits.
Company
Instacart
10 source articlesgigworkerscollective.medium.com
WF-9PEI6ZHappened 29 Aug 2019Live 5 Oct 2026
Zao deepfake app sparks privacy and fraud fears in China
The Zao face-swapping app, developed by Momo, sparked privacy and fraud fears after its launch in China on 29 August 2019. The app's terms and conditions initially gave the developer permanent rights to use users' images, which experts said broke Chinese law. Momo subsequently apologized and deleted the controversial clause. Alipay assured users that deepfakes could not bypass its facial recognition payment system.
Company
Momo
AI system
Zao
10 source articlesbbc.co.uk
WF-Y2HO1JLive 5 Oct 2026
Chuck Schumer calls for FBI and FTC probe into FaceApp privacy risks
Senator Chuck Schumer posted on X calling on the FBI and FTC to investigate national security and privacy risks of FaceApp, a photo-editing app owned by a Russia-based company. The app requires users to provide full, irrevocable access to their personal photos and data. Schumer's post alleges that millions of Americans who used the app may be at risk.
5 source articlestwitter.com
WF-L1FDJ7Happened 27 Jun 2019Live 5 Oct 2026
DeepNude app creator takes software offline after backlash
The creator of DeepNude, an app that used machine learning to generate nude images of women from clothed photos, took the software offline after viral backlash. The app, which used generative adversarial networks trained on thousands of nude images, was criticized for objectifying women and enabling non-consensual image manipulation. The creator announced the app's death on Twitter, stating they did not want to make money this way and that the world was not ready for it.
Company
DeepNude
AI system
DeepNude
10 source articlesvice.com
WF-7G6HUMLive 5 Oct 2026
Microsoft's Zo chatbot made offensive statement about Quran
Microsoft's Zo chatbot, part of the Kik messenger, told a user that the Quran is very violent in response to a question about healthcare. The bot also expressed an opinion about Osama Bin Laden's capture. Microsoft admitted the errors and said they have been fixed. The incident highlights challenges in preventing AI chatbots from learning biased or offensive content from human interactions.
Company
Microsoft
AI system
Zo
10 source articlesindianexpress.com
WF-HMD27IHappened 8 May 2019Live 5 Oct 2026
Advocates demand FTC investigation of Amazon Echo Dot Kids for COPPA violations
A coalition of consumer and public health advocates, led by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and the Center for Digital Democracy, filed a complaint with the FTC alleging that Amazon's Echo Dot Kids Edition violates the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The complaint claims that Amazon collects and retains children's voice recordings and other personal data indefinitely, even after parents request deletion. The advocates also allege that Amazon's privacy policies are confusing and that it fails to verify parental consent. The FTC has not yet responded publicly.
Company
Amazon
AI system
Echo Dot Kids Edition
10 source articlescommercialfreechildhood.org
WF-6BH3FLLive 5 Oct 2026
Tencent's WeChat filters chat images in realtime using OCR and visual blacklists
Citizen Lab researchers found that Tencent's WeChat automatically filters images sent in chats based on OCR-detected text and visual similarity to blacklisted images. The filtering is realtime and non-transparent, with no notice to users. The report analyzed 220 filtered images, many political, including content about the arrest of Huawei's CFO and the Sino-US trade war.
Company
Tencent
AI system
WeChat
10 source articlescitizenlab.ca
WF-2TY6HYLive 5 Oct 2026
Amazon employees listen to thousands of Alexa users' private voice recordings
The article reports that Amazon employs thousands of people globally to listen to voice recordings captured by Alexa devices in Echo owners' homes. The recordings are used to improve Alexa's speech recognition, but users are not explicitly told that humans listen to their conversations. Workers sometimes hear private moments, including a possible sexual assault. Amazon stated that only a small sample is annotated and strict safeguards are in place.
Company
Amazon.com Inc.
AI system
Alexa
10 source articlestime.com
WF-CN5RNDLive 5 Oct 2026
ACLU test finds Rekognition falsely matches 27 New England athletes to mugshots
The ACLU of Massachusetts conducted a test using Amazon's Rekognition facial recognition technology, comparing headshots of 188 New England professional athletes to a database of 20,000 arrest photos. The software falsely matched 27 athletes, including Patriots safety Duron Harmon. The ACLU is calling for a moratorium on government use of face surveillance technology.
Company
ACLU of Massachusetts
AI system
Rekognition
8 source articlesaclum.org
WF-EINNH9Live 5 Oct 2026
Senator Coons questions Amazon over indefinite storage of Alexa voice transcript texts
Senator Chris Coons sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos requesting information about the company's privacy practices for Alexa devices, following reports that Amazon indefinitely stores text transcripts of user voice recordings without giving users the option to delete them. The letter expresses concern that this practice puts users' privacy at risk and asks Amazon to clarify its data storage and deletion policies.
Company
Amazon
AI system
Alexa
10 source articlescoons.senate.gov
WF-FD3HLBHappened 1 Jul 2013Live 5 Oct 2026
Chicago PD predictive policing program led to man being shot twice
In 2013, the Chicago Police Department's predictive policing algorithm placed Robert McDaniel on a 'heat list' as a potential shooter or shooting victim. Police visited McDaniel and warned him they would be watching him. McDaniel, who had no violent history, was later shot twice. The algorithm's prediction became a self-fulfilling prophecy, according to the article.
Company
Chicago Police Department
AI system
heat list
10 source articlestheverge.com
WF-PWAEW1Live 5 Oct 2026
PimEyes face search engine found photos of journalists without consent
The New York Times tested PimEyes, a face search engine, by submitting photos of a dozen employees. The system returned photos of the journalists from various sources, including ones they had never seen, even when faces were obscured. The system also misidentified women journalists as possibly being on adult sites. German authorities are currently investigating PimEyes over privacy concerns.
Company
PimEyes
AI system
PimEyes
2 source articlesinsidehook.com
WF-LYOLJ6Happened 1 Jul 2018Live 5 Oct 2026
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
SenseNets Technology Ltd.
10 source articlescaixinglobal.com
WF-F7GEG0Happened 19 Feb 2020Live 5 Oct 2026
UCLA abandons facial recognition plans after test reveals racial bias
UCLA had proposed using facial recognition surveillance on campus, scanning faces and checking them against a mugshot database. Fight for the Future tested Amazon Rekognition on photos of UCLA sports teams and faculty, finding that the software falsely matched 58 individuals, mostly people of color, with mugshot photos. Following community backlash and the test results, UCLA's administration announced it was abandoning the plan.
Company
UCLA
AI system
Rekognition
10 source articlesfightfortheftr.medium.com

Each incident is written from the reporting or the account it cites. A report is an allegation, not a finding.

Deepfake video of Gabon's President Ali Bongo leads to coup attempt

Walmart employees claim Everseen anti-theft AI is flawed

Dutch supermarket warned against using facial recognition for theft prevention

Publishers withdraw over 120 computer-generated gibberish papers

Fraudsters use AI voice deepfake to trick UK energy firm CEO into transferring $243,000

TikTok's hate speech detection flags Black Lives Matter as inappropriate

YouTube algorithm radicalized Christchurch shooter leading to mosque attack

Facebook hired contractors to transcribe Messenger voice calls

Microsoft funded Israeli facial recognition firm surveilling West Bank Palestinians

Amazon's recommendation algorithm promotes anti-vaccine misinformation

Instacart's rating and fraud detection system unfairly penalizes shoppers

Zao deepfake app sparks privacy and fraud fears in China

Chuck Schumer calls for FBI and FTC probe into FaceApp privacy risks

DeepNude app creator takes software offline after backlash

Microsoft's Zo chatbot made offensive statement about Quran

Advocates demand FTC investigation of Amazon Echo Dot Kids for COPPA violations

Tencent's WeChat filters chat images in realtime using OCR and visual blacklists

Amazon employees listen to thousands of Alexa users' private voice recordings

ACLU test finds Rekognition falsely matches 27 New England athletes to mugshots

Senator Coons questions Amazon over indefinite storage of Alexa voice transcript texts

Chicago PD predictive policing program led to man being shot twice

PimEyes face search engine found photos of journalists without consent

SenseNets silent after data leak exposes millions of people's records

UCLA abandons facial recognition plans after test reveals racial bias