Mother of robodebt suicide victim tells inquiry of government stonewalling
Jennifer Miller, whose son Rhys Cauzzo took his own life in 2017 while facing Centrelink debts of about $17,000, told the robodebt royal commission that the government stonewalled her for years. The commission heard that Cauzzo's debt was unlawfully calculated using income averaging and that no vulnerability indicator was on his file despite his mental health conditions. Miller said she felt vindicated by the commission's findings, while the former human services minister Alan Tudge had claimed the department acted appropriately. The robodebt scheme, which ran from 2015 to 2019, ended in a $1.8bn settlement after a class action.
- Company involved
- Department of Human Services (Services Australia)
- AI system involved
- Robodebt
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CNAF algorithm flags single mother Juliette for welfare fraud investigation
In 2022, Juliette, a single mother on welfare in France, was flagged by CNAF's secretive fraud detection algorithm. A fraud investigator later determined she owed thousands of euros, which were deducted from her monthly payments. The algorithm, which scores half of France's population, is accused of discriminating against vulnerable people by using factors like single parenthood and low income.
- Company involved
- CNAF
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Inflection background check errors lead to lawsuits from banned Airbnb users
Inflection, a background check company used by Airbnb, Uber, and other platforms, has been sued multiple times for providing inaccurate reports. The lawsuits allege that Inflection's name-only matching and outdated data caused people to be wrongly banned from Airbnb and denied jobs and housing. Some cases have been settled, while others remain ongoing. The company is accused of violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
- Company involved
- Inflection
- AI system involved
- Inflection background check
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Tenant screening software denies housing to disabled Latino man in Connecticut
In 2016, Carmen Arroyo requested to move her disabled son Mikhail into a larger apartment in the same complex. The landlord, WinnResidential, used CoreLogic's CrimSafe tenant screening software, which flagged a dropped retail theft charge against Mikhail as disqualifying. The landlord rejected the application without explanation. Arroyo sued CoreLogic and WinnResidential under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Fair Housing Act, alleging that the software disproportionately excludes people of colour. The case was scheduled for trial in August 2021.
- Company involved
- WinnResidential
- AI system involved
- CrimSafe
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Dutch Tax Authority discriminated against dual nationality applicants for child care benefits using automated risk system.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) found that the Benefits Department of the Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst) unlawfully processed the dual nationality of 1.4 million applicants for child care benefits. The data was used as an indicator in an automated risk-scoring system that flagged applications as high-risk, which was unnecessary and discriminatory. The AP concluded that the processing violated the GDPR and was discriminatory. The AP completed its fact-finding and will consider imposing a sanction.
- Company involved
- Belastingdienst
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Telangana algorithm denied food to thousands of poor families
The Telangana government's algorithmic system Samagra Vedika wrongfully denied subsidised food to thousands of poor families by incorrectly tagging them as ineligible. The system, developed by Posidex Technologies, misidentified individuals across databases, leading to false positives. Affected families, including 67-year-old widow Bismillah Bee, were forced to prove their eligibility, often unsuccessfully. A Supreme Court case ordered re-verification, but many remain excluded.
- Company involved
- Government of Telangana
- AI system involved
- Samagra Vedika
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‘You’re denying what you did to my son’: mother of robodebt victim told she is ineligible for compensation - The…
The system determined Jarrad Madgwick owed a debt of $1,795.85 and would not receive his Newstart allowance.
- Company involved
- Services Australia
- AI system involved
- Robodebt scheme
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Centrelink victim's mum reveals cruel twist years after son's $1,795 debt notice - Yahoo Finance Australia
The system determined Jarrad Madgwick owed a debt and made him ineligible for Centrelink payments.
- Company involved
- Services Australia
- AI system involved
- Robodebt
1 source article · read the reporting →
Verizon class action claims co. collects customer voiceprints through Voice ID - Top Class Actions
Collected and stored voiceprints of Verizon customers for account authentication.
- Company involved
- Verizon Communications Inc.
- AI system involved
- Voice ID
1 source article · read the reporting →
