Bank of Italy warns of deepfake videos impersonating Governor Panetta for investment scams
The Bank of Italy has reported the circulation of deepfake videos and articles falsely depicting Governor Fabio Panetta endorsing investment platforms, likely as part of a scam. The central bank has filed a complaint with the judicial authority and warned the public not to trust or share such content. The deepfakes, created using artificial intelligence, are entirely fabricated and do not correspond to reality.
4 source articles · read the reporting →
FACIL'iti sues accessibility consultant Julie Moynat over critical tweet
In November 2020, Julie Moynat, a web accessibility consultant, tweeted criticism of FACIL'iti, an accessibility product. FACIL'iti sent a formal notice to her employer and later subpoenaed her for denigration in May 2021. Moynat is raising funds for her legal defense. The case is ongoing at the Judiciary Tribunal of Paris.
- Company involved
- FACIL'iti
- AI system involved
- FACIL'iti
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Y Combinator Supports AI Startup Optifye Dehumanizing Factory Workers
Optifye, an AI startup, is accused of dehumanizing factory workers through its system. Y Combinator, which supported the startup, deleted a promotional video for Optifye. The allegations were reported by 404media.co.
- Company involved
- Optifye
- AI system involved
- Optifye
7 source articles · read the reporting →
FunkSec Ransomware Group Targets 85 Victims with AI-Assisted Double Extortion
A new ransomware group called FunkSec has claimed over 85 victims since late 2024, using AI-assisted tools to develop its encryptor. The group employs double extortion tactics, stealing data and encrypting files, and demands ransoms as low as $10,000. Researchers suspect the group consists of novice actors recycling leaked data from previous hacktivist leaks, and some members have ties to hacktivist activities. The group also sells stolen data to third parties for $1,000 to $5,000.
- Company involved
- FunkSec
- AI system involved
- FunkSec
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Ahmedabad cyber police bust deepfake Aadhaar fraud racket, four arrested
Four men were arrested in Ahmedabad for allegedly using AI-generated deepfake videos to bypass Aadhaar's facial authentication system. They changed a victim's registered mobile number, accessed his DigiLocker, and applied for loans in his name. The accused, including Common Service Centre operators, used unauthorised Aadhaar update kits. Police are investigating whether more victims were targeted.
- Company involved
- Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)
- AI system involved
- Aadhaar facial authentication system
1 source article · read the reporting →
Facebook automated system temporarily blocks Kisan Ekta Morcha page as spam
Facebook's automated spam detection system flagged the Kisan Ekta Morcha page as spam due to increased activity, temporarily blocking it. The page, used by farmers protesting at the Delhi-Haryana border, was restored within three hours after Facebook became aware of the context. Facebook stated that the flagging was automatic and that human review restored the page.
- Company involved
- Facebook
- AI system involved
- Facebook automated spam detection system
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Derek O'Brien alleges Tek Fog app threatens national security
Derek O'Brien, a Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member, wrote to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs alleging that the 'Tek Fog' app is used by people associated with the BJP's IT cell to manipulate social media trends, send spyware messages, and spread fake news. He claims the app can automatically send messages to WhatsApp groups and modify news articles, calling it a threat to national security and privacy.
- Company involved
- Bharatiya Janata Party
- AI system involved
- Tek Fog
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Google sues Chinese gang over AI-powered fraud targeting Americans
Google has filed a lawsuit against a Chinese cybercrime group called Outsider Enterprise, alleging it used Google's Gemini AI to create hundreds of fake websites impersonating companies and government services. The group allegedly sent millions of phishing messages to Android users, defrauding hundreds of thousands of Americans of millions of dollars. Google is coordinating with the FBI and wireless carriers to dismantle the network. The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, seeks an injunction to take down the operation.
- Company involved
- Outsider Enterprise
- AI system involved
- Gemini
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Ferris v. Amazon.com Services (N.D. Mississippi): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Plaintiff ordered to pay Defendant’s reasonable costs related to…
The AI generated fabricated legal citations that were submitted to the court, affecting the defendant and the judicial process.
1 source article · read the reporting →
Facebook faces class action over Tag Suggestions facial recognition data collection
Facebook users in Illinois allege that Facebook collected their biometric face data without notice or consent through its Tag Suggestions tool, which uses facial recognition software. The class action, Patel v Facebook, was brought under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. Facebook disputes the claim, arguing that the users suffered no harm beyond the alleged statutory violation. The case was before the Ninth Circuit on an appeal of the class certification.
- Company involved
- Facebook
- AI system involved
- Tag Suggestions
2 source articles · read the reporting →
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 involved
- Facebook
- AI system involved
- Messenger
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Facial recognition pilot at Berlin-Südkreuz by German police
A year-long pilot project of facial recognition technology was carried out at Berlin-Südkreuz train station from August 2017 to July 2018. The project was initiated by the German Ministry of the Interior, federal and state police, and supported by Deutsche Bahn. The pilot became a catalyst for media attention, spurring discourse on the efficiency and legitimacy of surveillance technology.
- Company involved
- German Federal Police
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Deepfake video of Sam Bankman-Fried used in crypto phishing scam
A verified Twitter account posted a deepfake video of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried claiming to offer compensation to users of the collapsed exchange. The video directed viewers to a phishing website, ftxcompensation.com, that asked them to connect their crypto wallets and send funds with the promise of doubling them. The site's Ethereum address reportedly received over $1,000 in ETH. The account was later suspended.
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 →
German Federal Constitutional Court restricts police automated data evaluation
The German Federal Constitutional Court ruled in a case brought by the Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF) that automated data evaluation by police violates fundamental rights. The court restricted the practice, setting limits on police use of automated data analysis. The decision is a success for privacy and civil liberties.
- Company involved
- German police
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Chinese propaganda network used AI-generated faces on Facebook
Facebook removed two networks of fake accounts spreading propaganda, one originating from China and one from the Philippines. The Chinese network used AI-generated faces created through Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to create fake profiles and evade detection. The campaign targeted the US election and Southeast Asia, pushing pro-China content. Facebook took down the accounts and published a report with Graphika.
- Company involved
- Chinese propaganda network (Fujian province)
- AI system involved
- GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Judge rules police search using Flock was mass surveillance
A judge ruled that a police search using Flock's automated license plate readers constituted a form of mass surveillance. The ruling concerns the deployment of the AI-based camera system by law enforcement, which the court found to be an invasive surveillance practice. No further details of the case were provided in the article.
- AI system involved
- Flock
4 source articles · read the reporting →
ViaQuatro's facial recognition system in São Paulo metro challenged in court
In April 2018, ViaQuatro installed the Digital Interactive Doors System, developed by AdMobilize, on the São Paulo metro's yellow line. The system used cameras to detect passengers' faces and claimed to infer their emotion, age, and gender in order to target advertisements. The Brazilian Institute of Consumer Protection (IDEC) filed a public civil action alleging that the system violated consumer and data protection laws by processing biometric data without consent and making pseudoscientific and discriminatory inferences. A judge ordered the cameras removed in August 2018, and the case is pending a final ruling.
- Company involved
- ViaQuatro
- AI system involved
- Digital Interactive Doors System (DID system)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Italian privacy regulator fines Foodinho €2.6 million for algorithmic discrimination against riders
The Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante) fined Foodinho S.r.l., a subsidiary of GlovoApp23, €2.6 million for privacy violations related to its algorithmic management of food delivery riders. The Garante found that the company's digital platform used algorithms to assign orders and rate riders without adequate transparency, human oversight, or the right to contest decisions. The system allegedly penalized riders who did not accept orders quickly, leading to reduced work opportunities and exclusion from the platform. The Garante ordered Foodinho to implement corrective measures within 60 days and to overhaul the algorithms within 90 days.
- Company involved
- Foodinho S.r.l.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Plastic Forte fined for using facial recognition on workers without notice
The Spanish data protection agency AEPD fined Plastic Forte, a plastics manufacturer in Alicante, €20,000 for using facial recognition to record employees' working hours without informing them. A worker requested information about his personal data and discovered the biometric processing. The company initially argued it was only for time tracking but later acknowledged responsibility, resulting in a reduced fine of €12,000. The AEPD deemed facial recognition for time control as highly intrusive and requiring prior impact assessment.
- Company involved
- Plastic Forte
7 source articles · read the reporting →
California regulator accuses Maxpread Technologies of using AI-generated fake CEO to scam investors
Maxpread Technologies allegedly used an AI-generated avatar to pose as its CEO in a YouTube video to deceive investors. The California DFPI issued cease and desist letters to Maxpread and four other companies for offering unqualified securities and making false promises. The regulator claims the companies promised high daily returns using AI trading, but these claims were false. Maxpread did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Maxpread Technologies
8 source articles · read the reporting →
FTC settles with IntelliVision over deceptive facial recognition claims
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action against IntelliVision Technologies Corp. for making false, misleading, or unsubstantiated claims about its AI-powered facial recognition software. The company allegedly claimed its software had one of the highest accuracy rates on the market and was free of gender or racial bias, without supporting evidence. The FTC also alleged that IntelliVision did not train its software on millions of faces as claimed, but on images of approximately 100,000 individuals. Under a proposed consent order, IntelliVision is prohibited from making such misrepresentations without competent and reliable testing.
- Company involved
- IntelliVision Technologies Corp.
- AI system involved
- IntelliVision facial recognition software
9 source articles · read the reporting →
ScaleFactor reportedly failed to deliver promised automated bookkeeping software
ScaleFactor, an Austin-based startup, is reported to have failed to deliver the automated, real-time bookkeeping tools it promised customers, instead relying on human bookkeepers and a Filipino contract accounting firm. The company told Forbes in June that it was shutting down, initially blaming the pandemic, but Forbes later reported that its problems predated Covid-19. Investors reportedly came to see the company as more of a services business than a software platform, and pulled funding after a pivot to a marketplace model. No legal or regulatory action is reported.
- Company involved
- ScaleFactor
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Chattr.ai exposed job applicant data due to insecure Firebase rules
A security researcher discovered that Chattr.ai, an AI hiring system used by many fast food chains, had a Firebase database with insecure security rules. By registering a new user, the researcher gained full read/write access to the database, exposing personal data of job applicants and employees, including names, phone numbers, emails, and some plaintext passwords. The vulnerability was reported to Chattr.ai on 9 January and patched the next day, but the company did not provide further contact or thanks.
- Company involved
- Chattr.ai
- AI system involved
- Chattr.ai
6 source articles · read the reporting →
