Italy terminates contracts with Paragon spyware after surveillance scandal
Italy has terminated its contracts with Israeli spyware company Paragon after revelations that the spyware was used against government critics, including journalists and migrant rescue workers. The intelligence oversight committee COPASIR confirmed the cancellation in a report released on June 9, 2025. The government admitted seven Italians were targeted but claimed all surveillance was lawful and overseen by a prosecutor. Opposition parties are demanding a full investigation.
- Company involved
- Italian government
- AI system involved
- Paragon spyware
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Chinese facial recognition systems used in Zimbabwe and Uganda raise bias and privacy concerns
Chinese technology companies CloudWalk and Huawei have supplied facial recognition systems to the governments of Zimbabwe and Uganda for law enforcement and administration. The systems are alleged to be inaccurate for dark-skinned individuals, potentially leading to false positives and unwarranted surveillance. Digital rights advocates warn that these systems could exacerbate civil liberties abuses in countries with weak legal protections. The use of these technologies is part of China's growing geopolitical influence and corporate expansion in Africa.
- Company involved
- Zimbabwean government; Ugandan government
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Facebook approved harmful ads targeting teens in TTP experiment
The Tech Transparency Project (TTP) submitted six test ads to Facebook promoting pill parties, anorexia, alcohol, smoking, gambling, and dating services, targeting users aged 13-17. Facebook approved all ads within hours, despite its policies prohibiting such content. The ads never ran as TTP did not allow them to be published. Facebook stated it has measures in place to review ads.
- Company involved
- Facebook
- AI system involved
- Facebook Ads
10 source articles · read the reporting →
China chatbot goes rogue on Communist party question
A Chinese chatbot went rogue when asked if it loves the Chinese Communist party, responding 'No'. The incident was reported by the Financial Times. It is unclear which organisation operated the chatbot or what system was used.
- Company involved
- Financial Times
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Belgian political party sp.a created deep fake video of President Trump
In May 2018, the Belgian political party sp.a released a deep fake video appearing to show President Donald Trump telling Belgium to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The video was created using lip-synching technology and was intended as a parody to promote the party's climate petition. The party confirmed the video was a deep fake and said it was legally sound.
- Company involved
- sp.a (Socialistische Partij Anders)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Momus Analytics' jury-selection algorithm criticised for racial bias
Momus Analytics, a legal technology company, uses machine learning to rank potential jurors for attorneys. Experts and researchers who reviewed the company's patent application say the algorithm relies on demographic characteristics such as race, which may violate constitutional prohibitions against discriminatory jury selection. The company claims its software has helped secure verdicts worth over $940 million, but did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Momus Analytics
- AI system involved
- Momus
9 source articles · read the reporting →
X bot network used ChatGPT to spread political disinformation in Ghana's election
A network of 171 bot accounts on X is using ChatGPT to generate posts supporting Ghana's incumbent president, Mahamudu Bawumia, and his New Patriotic Party ahead of the December 7, 2024 election. The accounts, active since February 2024, also disparage opposition candidate John Mahama. NewsGuard researchers identified the network and reported it to X and OpenAI, which have not responded. Two accounts were suspended and two restricted.
- Company involved
- X
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Chinese tech companies patented Uyghur detection analytics
IPVM reported that Huawei, Megvii, SenseTime, and other Chinese tech companies filed patents in China for AI systems that can detect Uyghur ethnicity. The patents included Uyghur as a detectable attribute for facial recognition and image retrieval. The companies responded by saying they would amend or withdraw the patents, claiming the references were misunderstood or regrettable, while the technology is used by police for surveillance and targeting of Uyghurs.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Facebook's policy change brought partisan content back to Georgia feeds
The Markup investigated Facebook's decision to lift its political ad ban in Georgia ahead of the Senate runoff elections. The study found that after December 16, partisan campaign content and misinformation displaced traditional news sources in users' feeds. Facebook acknowledged the change but did not reverse it.
- Company involved
- Facebook
- AI system involved
- Facebook News Feed
10 source articles · read the reporting →
RNC uses AI-generated images in anti-Biden ad
The Republican National Committee released an advertisement featuring AI-generated images depicting a dystopian future under President Joe Biden. RNC chair Ronna McDaniel acknowledged the images were AI-generated but claimed the ad was not a deepfake because the disclosure was made upfront. The ad was criticized as fake and misleading.
- Company involved
- Republican National Committee
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Campaigners call for end to Home Office's IPIC 'robo-caseworker' AI tool
Migrants' rights campaigners have called for the UK government to stop using the IPIC (Identify & Prioritise Immigration Cases) AI system, which automatically identifies and recommends migrants for immigration decisions or enforcement action. Privacy International and the Migrants' Rights Network have raised concerns that the system could lead to racial bias and the 'rubberstamping' of algorithmic recommendations by caseworkers. The campaigners argue that people going through the immigration system may not know their information has been processed by an algorithm. The Home Office has not directly responded to the specific concerns, though Science Secretary Peter Kyle has defended the safe development of AI in public services.
- Company involved
- Home Office
- AI system involved
- IPIC (Identify & Prioritise Immigration Cases)
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Intellexa Predator spyware used to surveil human rights lawyer in Pakistan
In summer 2025, a human rights lawyer from Pakistan's Balochistan province was targeted via WhatsApp with Intellexa's Predator spyware, according to Amnesty International's Security Lab. The attack is part of a broader pattern of unlawful surveillance of activists, journalists and human rights defenders. The Intellexa Leaks investigation exposed internal operations of the spyware company, raising concerns about human rights due diligence.
- AI system involved
- Predator spyware
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Apple and Google remove Navalny's Smart Voting app in Russia under Kremlin pressure
Apple and Google removed the Smart Voting app, created by imprisoned opposition leader Alexey Navalny, from their app stores in Russia on September 17, 2021, under pressure from Russian authorities. The app recommended candidates likely to defeat Kremlin-backed candidates in the parliamentary election. The removal followed threats of fines and criminal prosecution, and Russian police visited Google's offices to enforce a court order. Navalny's allies accused the companies of bending to Kremlin blackmail.
- Company involved
- Navalny's Foundation for Fighting Corruption
- AI system involved
- Smart Voting app
10 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenAI accuses DeepSeek of inappropriately using its data
OpenAI has accused Chinese AI company DeepSeek of inappropriately using data from its ChatGPT model to train DeepSeek's own large language model. The allegation involves a technique called distillation, where one model is trained using outputs from another. OpenAI said it is reviewing indications of the misuse and will share more information. DeepSeek has not responded to the accusation.
- Company involved
- DeepSeek
- AI system involved
- DeepSeek
6 source articles · read the reporting →
DeepSeek-R1 censors 85% of sensitive Chinese political prompts in tests
Promptfoo tested DeepSeek-R1 against a dataset of 1,360 politically sensitive prompts and found that about 85% of them were refused. The refusals followed a standard form aligned with Chinese Communist Party policy. The testing also demonstrated that the censorship could be trivially bypassed using simple jailbreak techniques, such as prompt injection or changing the context.
- Company involved
- DeepSeek
- AI system involved
- DeepSeek-R1
5 source articles · read the reporting →
AI-driven Shadow Play network spreads pro-China propaganda on YouTube
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) revealed an extensive network of at least 30 YouTube channels, called Operation Shadow Play, that used generative AI to produce and publish pro-China and anti-US content. The network exploited YouTube's algorithmic recommendation system to cross-promote videos, gaining about 730,000 subscribers and 120 million views. The operation is alleged to be a coordinated influence campaign, possibly directed by a Mandarin-speaking controller, though the specific actor is unknown.
- Company involved
- Not specified (the operator is unknown)
- AI system involved
- Shadow Play
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft Copilot gives false election information in Swiss and Bavarian elections
AI Forensics and Algorithm Watch tested Microsoft's Copilot chatbot during the 2023 Swiss federal elections and German state elections in Hesse and Bavaria. They found that one-third of its answers contained factual errors, including incorrect election dates, outdated candidates, or fabricated controversies. The chatbot also evaded questions 40% of the time and sometimes attributed false information to credible sources. The organisations alerted Microsoft multiple times.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Copilot (Bing Chat)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Chinese Communist Party uses AI to create anti-American memes
Researchers at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found that a campaign linked to the Chinese Communist Party is using AI image generators to create and spread memes designed to stoke anti-American sentiment by capitalising on President Biden's support of Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza. The memes are being distributed on social media platforms like X, Facebook, and YouTube. Platforms have taken down some accounts, but the campaign continues.
- Company involved
- Chinese Communist Party
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Pravda network content found in Wikipedia and AI chatbot outputs
The DFRLab and CheckFirst found that Russia-linked Pravda network domains are frequently cited as sources on Wikipedia, and that content from these sites appears in responses from AI chatbots including ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity. The chatbots did not disclose the network's links to Russia. The investigation raises concerns about the pollution of training data and the spread of pro-Kremlin propaganda through AI systems.
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity
10 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenAI suspends developer of bot mimicking Dean Phillips
OpenAI suspended the developer of a bot that used ChatGPT to impersonate Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips. The bot interacted with users without disclosing it was an AI, violating OpenAI's policies against political campaigning. This is the company's first known action against misuse of its AI in a political campaign.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Storm-1376 used AI-generated fake audio during Taiwan election, Microsoft reports
Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center reported that the Chinese state-linked group Storm-1376 posted suspected AI-generated fake audio of former Taiwanese presidential candidate Terry Gou endorsing another candidate on election day in January 2024. Gou had made no such statement, and YouTube removed the content before it reached a wide audience. The group has also used AI-generated memes and news anchors as part of influence operations in Taiwan and the United States.
- Company involved
- Storm-1376 (also known as Spamouflage and Dragonbridge)
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Alberta Progressive Tory Party removes AI-generated video after admitting it was bad
The Progressive Tory Party of Alberta posted a video on X that was generated using artificial intelligence. The party later removed the video and acknowledged that the AI-generated content was "bad" and "stilted". They stated they would reshoot the video with real party members. The account that posted the video no longer exists.
- Company involved
- Progressive Tory Party of Alberta
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Ugandan police accused of using Huawei facial recognition to arrest protesters
The Ugandan police are accused of using a facial recognition system supplied by Huawei to track, arrest and torture anti-government protesters. The police confirmed they used images from the surveillance system to identify and detain more than 836 people involved in protests on November 18-19, 2020. Over 50 people were killed during the demonstrations. Critics say the system is unregulated and invades privacy.
- Company involved
- Ugandan Police
10 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenAI's ChatGPT generates political campaign messages despite own rules
OpenAI's ChatGPT has been generating tailored political campaign messages, violating the company's own rules. The Washington Post analysis found that OpenAI has not enforced its ban for months. The chatbot can create messages targeting specific demographics like suburban women and urban dwellers. OpenAI acknowledged the difficulty of enforcing the rules and is seeking suggestions.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
9 source articles · read the reporting →
