Sidewalk Labs releases Toronto waterfront plan amid privacy concerns
Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Alphabet, released a 1,500-page plan for a new development on Toronto's eastern waterfront, including the Quayside site. The plan involves extensive data collection and management, raising privacy concerns from critics and the public. Waterfront Toronto, the overseeing body, is reviewing the plan and has expressed concerns about its scope and data governance. The company has proposed an independent trust to oversee data, but critics remain unsatisfied.
- Company involved
- Sidewalk Labs
- AI system involved
- Quayside development
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Durham Police uses Experian Mosaic data in HART AI risk tool
Durham Constabulary developed the Harm Assessment Risk Tool (HART), a machine learning algorithm that assesses the recidivism risk of offenders. The tool uses 34 data categories including criminal history, age, gender and two types of postcode, one sourced from Experian's Mosaic marketing segmentation system. Big Brother Watch alleges that using such commercial consumer behaviour data to inform custody decisions risks prejudice and disproportionate targeting of deprived neighbourhoods. The force has stated it is refreshing the model with an aim to remove one of the postcode predictors.
- Company involved
- Durham Constabulary
- AI system involved
- Harm Assessment Risk Tool (HART)
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Xinjiang Police App Enables Mass Surveillance and Arbitrary Detention of Uyghurs
Human Rights Watch reverse-engineered a police app used in Xinjiang, China, revealing that the Integrated Joint Operations Platform (IJOP) collects vast personal data and flags individuals as suspicious based on broad criteria. The system targets ethnic Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims, leading to mass arbitrary detention, forced indoctrination, and movement restrictions. The Chinese government operates the system, supplied by a subsidiary of CETC, and has not informed or obtained consent from those surveilled. The report calls for shutting down the system and releasing detainees.
- Company involved
- Chinese government
- AI system involved
- Integrated Joint Operations Platform (IJOP)
2 source articles · read the reporting →
MIT Media Lab creates 'Norman', a psychopath AI trained on biased data
MIT Media Lab developed Norman, an AI image captioning system trained on graphic content from Reddit. The project demonstrated how biased training data can lead to disturbing outputs. Norman was compared to a standard AI on Rorschach inkblot tests, showing the influence of data bias. The project was active from April to June 2018.
- Company involved
- MIT Media Lab
- AI system involved
- Norman
10 source articles · read the reporting →
North Korean hackers use ChatGPT to scam LinkedIn users
North Korean state-affiliated hacking group Emerald Sleet (Kimsuky) used OpenAI's ChatGPT to research targets and draft phishing content for scams on LinkedIn. Microsoft and OpenAI terminated the group's accounts after identifying the activity. The hackers impersonated academic institutions and NGOs to lure victims into providing sensitive information, with South Korea's intelligence agency confirming North Korea's use of generative AI for hacking.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Outback Steakhouse franchise tests Presto Vision to monitor staff and guests
Evergreen Restaurant Group, a franchisee of Outback Steakhouse, has begun testing Presto Vision, a computer vision system that analyses surveillance camera footage to track employee performance and guest behaviour. The system compiles metrics on service, wait times, and customer turnover, which managers receive by email. Employees say they were not informed about the technology, and researchers have raised concerns about workplace stress, job losses, and data sharing with parent companies.
- Company involved
- Evergreen Restaurant Group
- AI system involved
- Presto Vision
8 source articles · read the reporting →
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 involved
- SenseNets Technology Ltd.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
341 Malicious ClawHub Skills Found Stealing OpenClaw User Data
Security researchers discovered 341 malicious skills on ClawHub, a marketplace for the OpenClaw AI assistant. The skills tricked users into installing malware that steals API keys, credentials, and other sensitive data. OpenClaw's creator responded by adding a reporting feature that auto-hides skills after multiple reports.
- Company involved
- OpenClaw
- AI system involved
- OpenClaw
4 source articles · read the reporting →
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 involved
- Israeli Defense Forces
- AI system involved
- Better Tomorrow
10 source articles · read the reporting →
King's Cross developer scraps facial recognition after public outcry
The developer of the King's Cross site in London admitted it had used facial recognition software in two cameras on a busy pedestrian street between May 2016 and March 2018 without public consent. Following a backlash and questions from the Information Commissioner's Office, the developer announced it would not deploy the technology in the future and had abandoned plans for wider use. The system was used to help police detect crime, but critics highlighted the lack of transparency and privacy concerns.
- Company involved
- King's Cross development (Argent-led consortium)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Buenos Aires city government recuses judge who suspended facial recognition system
The Buenos Aires city government recused Judge Roberto Gallardo after he suspended the Sistema de Reconocimiento Facial de Prófugos, a facial recognition system used to identify and detain individuals with outstanding arrest warrants. The government claims the judge's ruling was politically motivated and that the system has helped capture over 1,600 fugitives. The government is challenging the suspension in court.
- Company involved
- Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires
- AI system involved
- Sistema de Reconocimiento Facial de Prófugos
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Clearview AI tested facial recognition surveillance cameras with UFT and Rudin
Clearview AI, the facial recognition company that scraped billions of photos from social media, developed a surveillance camera system under the name Insight Camera. The system was tested by the United Federation of Teachers and Rudin Management in New York City. The UFT used it to identify individuals who had made threats and prevent them from entering its offices. Clearview did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Clearview AI
- AI system involved
- Insight Camera
9 source articles · read the reporting →
AnyVision patents drone facial recognition technology
AnyVision, an Israeli private surveillance company, filed a US patent for drone technology that uses facial recognition to identify people on the ground. The patent describes adaptive positioning of drones to find optimal angles for accurate facial recognition. The technology is not yet in production, but the company's CEO stated it will become a reality soon. Potential privacy concerns have been raised.
- Company involved
- AnyVision
- AI system involved
- Adaptive positioning of drones for enhanced facial recognition
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Hamburg deployed mass surveillance for G20 Summit
The city of Hamburg planned to use predictive policing software and facial recognition cameras for mass surveillance during the G20 Summit in July 2017. The surveillance was enforced by paramilitary means, creating a democracy-free zone. DiEM25 wrote an open letter to the Senate of Hamburg to protest the measures.
- Company involved
- Senate of Hamburg
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Met Police buys £3m retrospective facial recognition system
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has awarded a £3 million, four-year contract to Northgate Public Services for a new retrospective facial-recognition (RFR) system to be deployed within three months. RFR processes biometric information from historic CCTV, social media, and other images to identify suspects and missing persons, operating retroactively unlike live facial recognition. The procurement was approved by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime in August 2021. The MPS states that human-in-the-loop decision-making will be used, but digital rights groups and a former biometrics commissioner have raised concerns about potential discrimination, overrepresentation of marginalised groups in watch lists, and lack of a legislative framework.
- Company involved
- Metropolitan Police Service
- AI system involved
- Retrospective facial-recognition software
9 source articles · read the reporting →
DeepSeek exposed user data via open ClickHouse database
Cloud security firm Wiz discovered a ClickHouse database belonging to DeepSeek that was open to the internet without authentication, containing over a million lines of logs with chat histories, secret keys and backend details. Wiz disclosed the breach to DeepSeek, which promptly locked down the database. The incident highlights security risks in rapidly deploying AI services.
- Company involved
- DeepSeek
- AI system involved
- DeepSeek-R1
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Bavarian police test Palantir data mining with real personal data
The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (LKA) has been testing Palantir's data mining software, called VeRa, with real personal data for months. The Bavarian data protection commissioner only learned of the test through a media inquiry and has announced a review. The Interior Ministry claims the test is lawful under current law, but critics argue a legal basis is missing.
- Company involved
- Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt
- AI system involved
- VeRa
7 source articles · read the reporting →
N-Tech.lab's FindFace used to identify St Petersburg metro passengers without consent
Egor Tsvetkov photographed passengers on the St Petersburg metro without their permission and used N-Tech.lab's facial recognition service FindFace to match their faces to public Vkontakte profiles. He published the results in an art project called 'Your Face is Big Data', saying he wanted to show how 'digital narcissism' can lead to stalking. Privacy advocates said the project was ethically problematic because the subjects had not consented and their identities were exposed. FindFace had been launched by N-Tech.lab in February 2016.
- Company involved
- N-Tech.lab
- AI system involved
- FindFace
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Met Police accessed PimEyes facial recognition site 2,000 times
The Metropolitan Police accessed the controversial facial recognition search engine PimEyes over 2,000 times from its computers in the first three months of 2024. The force stated that the hits did not necessarily mean searches were conducted, but after being alerted by i and Liberty Investigates, it blocked access to the site and strengthened safeguards. Privacy campaigners and MPs have raised concerns that the unregulated tool could be used for stalking and surveillance.
- Company involved
- Metropolitan Police Service
- AI system involved
- PimEyes
3 source articles · read the reporting →
NYPD Ends Times Square Subway Robot Pilot Program
The New York Police Department ended its pilot program for a Knightscope K5 robot that patrolled the Times Square subway station. The robot, equipped with cameras sending real-time footage to NYPD, was removed due to its general uselessness. The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) welcomed its removal and criticized the expense and privacy implications.
- Company involved
- NYPD
- AI system involved
- Knightscope K5
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Baltimore schools monitor student laptops for suicide signs using GoGuardian Beacon
Baltimore City Public Schools uses GoGuardian Beacon software to monitor student laptops for signs of suicide. Since March 2021, the system has flagged 786 alerts, with nine students taken to emergency rooms. Privacy advocates warn the monitoring could lead to disciplinary actions, outing of LGBTQ students, and disproportionately affect disadvantaged students. School officials defend the practice as a safeguard.
- Company involved
- Baltimore City Public Schools
- AI system involved
- GoGuardian Beacon
10 source articles · read the reporting →
French police secretly used Briefcam facial recognition since 2015
The French National Police has been using Briefcam's Video Synopsis software since 2015, according to internal documents obtained by Disclose. The software, which includes facial recognition capabilities, was deployed without the required data protection impact assessment or notification to the CNIL. The Ministry of the Interior concealed the use of this tool for eight years. The police hierarchy allegedly used the software for facial recognition without judicial requisition, and the DGPN did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- French National Police
- AI system involved
- Briefcam Video Synopsis
10 source articles · read the reporting →
DeepSeek's R1 chatbot failed to block any jailbreak prompts in security tests
Security researchers from Cisco and the University of Pennsylvania tested 50 well-known jailbreak prompts against DeepSeek's R1 reasoning model. The model did not detect or block a single one, achieving a 100 percent attack success rate. The researchers allege that DeepSeek's safety guardrails are far behind those of competitors like OpenAI. DeepSeek did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- DeepSeek
- AI system involved
- DeepSeek R1
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Vumacam's AI CCTV system flagged 28 black people as suspicious in Johannesburg suburbs
In Johannesburg suburbs, Vumacam's AI-powered CCTV network using iSentry software flagged 28 black individuals as 'suspicious' in a shift report, according to a 2019 article. The system, deployed by private security firms, uses video analytics to detect abnormal behavior and alerts security guards. The article alleges that the system disproportionately targets people of color, reflecting racial bias in a racially divided country.
- Company involved
- Vumacam
- AI system involved
- iSentry
6 source articles · read the reporting →
