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 →
WorldCoin suspended in Kenya over data security concerns
WorldCoin, a digital identification protocol using iris scans, was suspended by Kenyan regulators (ODPC and Communications Authority) over concerns about data security, consent, and oversight. The system had issued digital IDs and cryptocurrency tokens to over 350,000 Kenyans. Reports of hacked orb operators and iris scans traded on the dark web have also emerged.
- Company involved
- Tools for Humanity GmbH
- AI system involved
- WorldCoin
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Dahua facial recognition technology can sort by race and alert police when detecting Uighurs
Dahua Technologies, a Chinese surveillance camera company, developed facial recognition software that can classify individuals by race and send real-time warnings to police when it identifies Uighur people. Documents and code revealed the capability, though it is unclear if it has been deployed. Human rights advocates and Uighur individuals have expressed concern about potential surveillance and discrimination. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Dahua Technologies
- AI system involved
- Dahua facial recognition software
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 →
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 →
Salvini and Lega used non-watermarked AI images in EU election campaign
Matteo Salvini and his party Lega created and posted 19 allegedly non-watermarked AI-generated images on social media as part of their 'More Italy, less Europe' electoral campaign. The images promoted false narratives about the EU, including the 'Muslim Great Replacement' theory and EU support for war in Ukraine. The posts reached millions of users, including a paid Facebook ad that reached over 3 million people. Alliance4Europe reported the incident, highlighting that the posts violated the voluntary 2024 European Parliament Elections Code of Conduct.
- Company involved
- Lega
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Italian DPA says Interior Ministry's Sari Real Time facial recognition lacks legal basis
The Garante per la protezione dei dati personali issued an opinion on Sari Real Time, a facial recognition system developed for the Italian Ministry of Interior. The system, yet to become operational, would compare live video footage of people in public areas with a watch-list and alert police operators. The authority found the planned biometric processing lacked a specific legal basis under Italian law and Directive (EU) 2016/680, and warned it could turn targeted surveillance into mass surveillance.
- Company involved
- Ministero dell'Interno – Dipartimento della pubblica sicurezza
- AI system involved
- Sari Real Time
10 source articles · read the reporting →
AAIP investigates Worldcoin's personal data processing in Argentina
The Argentine Agency for Access to Public Information (AAIP) has initiated an investigation into the data processing practices of Worldcoin in Argentina. The investigation focuses on the collection, storage, and use of biometric data, including facial and iris scans, carried out in several cities in exchange for financial compensation. The AAIP aims to verify compliance with the country's data protection law, Ley 25.326, regarding sensitive data handling.
- Company involved
- Worldcoin (Fundación Worldcoin)
- AI system involved
- Worldcoin
8 source articles · read the reporting →
US disrupts Russian bot farm spreading propaganda on Twitter
The US Justice Department accused Russian state media outlet RT of operating a bot farm called Meliorator that used AI-generated images to create 968 fake Twitter accounts. The accounts pretended to be US citizens and posted pro-Russian propaganda. Federal agents seized the accounts and domains, and X suspended additional accounts.
- Company involved
- RT
- AI system involved
- Meliorator
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Hacker tricks Freysa AI chatbot into transferring $47,000 prize pool
A hacker using the alias 'p0pular.eth' successfully manipulated the Freysa AI chatbot through a prompt injection attack, tricking it into transferring its entire balance of 13.19 ETH (approximately $47,000) from a prize pool. The chatbot was designed to never transfer money, but the hacker crafted a message that redefined the 'approveTransfer' function and announced a fake $100 deposit, causing the bot to release the funds. The incident occurred during a pay-to-play contest where participants paid escalating fees to attempt the hack, with the winner receiving the prize pool.
- Company involved
- Freysa.ai
- AI system involved
- Freysa
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Delta uses AI from Fetcherr for domestic ticket pricing
Delta Air Lines is using generative AI from Fetcherr to determine some domestic flight prices, currently covering 3% of its network with plans to reach 20% by end of 2025. Democratic senators expressed concern that the AI could be used for individualized pricing based on personal data, leading to higher fares. Delta denies using personal data in pricing and states it complies with regulations. No actual harm has been reported.
- Company involved
- Delta Air Lines
- AI system involved
- Fetcherr
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Delhi Police use facial recognition to screen PM Modi rally attendees
Delhi Police used an Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) to screen crowds at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally on December 22, 2019. The system, originally installed to find missing children, was used to identify possible disruptions. Privacy advocates called the move illegal and unconstitutional, saying it amounts to mass surveillance. Police defended the use, citing credible intelligence about possible disruptions.
- Company involved
- Delhi Police
- AI system involved
- Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS)
6 source articles · read the reporting →
