Clearview AI facial recognition app scrapes billions of images and is used by police
Clearview AI, a secretive start-up, built a facial recognition app that matches photos to a database of more than three billion images scraped from social media and websites. More than 600 law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, have used the tool to identify suspects in crimes such as shoplifting, identity theft and murder. The company monitored officers who ran a reporter's photo through the app, and its founder acknowledged designing an augmented-reality prototype but said there were no plans to release it. Critics warned the tool could end anonymity and enable misuse.
- Company involved
- Clearview AI
- AI system involved
- Clearview AI facial recognition app
2 source articles · read the reporting →
IDF Used AI System Lavender to Target Tens of Thousands in Gaza
The Israeli military used an AI system called Lavender to identify suspected militants in Gaza, marking 37,000 Palestinians as targets for bombing with minimal human oversight. Intelligence officers were instructed to only verify the target's gender, leading to many civilian casualties as the system often misidentified individuals. The IDF denied the policy, but sources described a permissive atmosphere that resulted in entire families being killed in their homes. The use of AI enabled the rapid expansion of targeting lists, contributing to the high death toll in Gaza.
- Company involved
- Israel Defense Forces
- AI system involved
- Lavender
9 source articles · read the reporting →
PredictiveHire builds AI to predict job hopping from interviews
PredictiveHire, an AI hiring firm, developed a machine-learning model that analyses candidates' open-ended interview responses to predict their likelihood of 'job hopping'. The company used data from 45,899 applicants to build the 'flight risk' assessment, which it advertises as coming soon. Scholars warn that such tools can suppress wages by screening out workers who might seek better pay or conditions, continuing a historical trend of using personality tests to identify potential labour organisers.
- Company involved
- PredictiveHire
- AI system involved
- Phai
1 source article · read the reporting →
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office facial recognition leads to wrongful arrest of Florida man
Robert Dillon, a commercial crabber in Lee County, Florida, was arrested after the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office used facial recognition to match restaurant surveillance photos to him, leading to a warrant for luring or enticing a child. Dillon said he had never been to Jacksonville Beach and pointed to visible differences between himself and the suspect. His defence attorney argued the investigation relied too heavily on the AI match, and the state attorney’s office dropped the case after further investigation. Dillon is now seeking a civil attorney to pursue legal action over the wrongful arrest.
- Company involved
- Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Xuhui police expand facial recognition surveillance to profile 1.1 million residents
The Xuhui District branch of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Public Security is expanding its Intelligent Image Recognition System, adding 2,500 facial recognition cameras and increased computing capacity to build profiles of residents and flag deviations. The project, contracted to US-sanctioned FiberHome, is designed to match each face to files on more than 50 million people. Officials say the system will analyse behaviour patterns and trigger early warnings.
- Company involved
- Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Public Security, Xuhui District Branch
- AI system involved
- Intelligent Image Recognition System
3 source articles · read the reporting →
NYPD Facial Recognition Leads to Wrongful Arrest of Trevis Williams
In April 2025, Trevis Williams was arrested by the NYPD after a facial recognition program matched his mug shot to a suspect in a February flashing incident, despite an eight-inch height difference and alibi evidence. The victim identified him from the AI-suggested photo array. Mr. Williams spent over two days in jail before the case was dismissed in July. The incident highlights the risks of using facial recognition on low-quality surveillance images.
- Company involved
- New York Police Department
2 source articles · read the reporting →
West Midlands Police test NDAS system to assess crime risk
West Midlands Police are testing a system called the National Data Analytics Solution (NDAS) that analyses police data to assess the risk of individuals committing a crime or becoming a victim. The Home Office has funded the project with millions of pounds, intending to roll it out across England and Wales. Critics warn that the system could reinforce bias against minorities and undermine the presumption of innocence. The police say the technology is designed to support, not replace, officer decision-making and that it is still in early testing.
- Company involved
- West Midlands Police
- AI system involved
- National Data Analytics Solution
1 source article · read the reporting →
Dahua Exposed for Uyghur Tracking Software in Surveillance Systems
Dahua Technology's publicly available SDK was found to contain code for detecting Uyghur ethnicity, enabling Chinese police to covertly track the persecuted minority. The revelation led to widespread criticism, and Dahua removed the SDK after being contacted by IPVM but did not comment. The company had previously been sanctioned by the US for complicity in human rights abuses against Uyghurs, and its software is part of a massive surveillance apparatus in Xinjiang.
- Company involved
- Dahua Technology
- AI system involved
- Dahua SDK
1 source article · 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 →
NYPD Used Facial Recognition to Target Black Lives Matter Activist Derrick Ingram
The NYPD used facial recognition technology to identify Derrick Ingram, a 28-year-old Black Lives Matter activist, leading to a raid on his Hell's Kitchen apartment by over 50 officers on 7 August 2020. The NYPD's Facial Identification Section generated a lead from a photo taken from Ingram's Instagram page, despite the department's policy of using only surveillance video or arrest photos. Ingram's attorney alleges the five-hour siege was an intimidation campaign that interfered with his constitutional rights. The NYPD acknowledged using facial recognition as a limited investigative tool.
- Company involved
- NYPD
- AI system involved
- Facial Identification Section
3 source articles · 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 →
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 →
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 →
Mexican government agencies hacked using Anthropic's Claude AI
Anthropic's Claude large language model was weaponized by attackers to compromise numerous Mexican government agencies over a month-long campaign starting December 2025. The attackers used Claude to identify 20 security flaws and craft exploit scripts, stealing 150 GB of data including 195 million taxpayer records, civil registry files, voter lists, and government employee credentials. Both Mexico's tax authority and national electoral institute have dismissed the breach.
- Company involved
- Anthropic
- AI system involved
- Claude
5 source articles · 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 →
Expedia Accused of Using AI to Jack Up Hotel Room Rates - Bloomberg Law News
Set artificially inflated hotel room rates for consumers booking US hotel accommodations
- Company involved
- Expedia Group Inc.
1 source article · 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 →
Evolv backtracks on claimed UK government testing of AI weapons scanner
Evolv Technology, maker of AI-powered weapons scanners, backtracked on claims that its system had been tested by the UK government's National Protective Security Authority. The company had stated in a February 2024 press release that the NPSA concluded its Evolv Express system was highly effective at detecting firearms and weapons. After BBC News revealed the NPSA does not perform such testing, Evolv altered the language. The company is under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission over its marketing practices. Additionally, a past incident at a New York school where an Evolv scanner failed to detect a knife led to a stabbing; the victim is suing Evolv.
- Company involved
- Evolv Technology
- AI system involved
- Evolv Express
3 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 →
