The record

Where automated decisions went wrong

Incidents gathered from public reporting around the world. Each one links to the articles it came from. None of it is a finding that anyone broke the law.

Reports people file about their own experience are not shown here and never will be without their agreement. Tell us what happened to you.

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92 incidents closest to “Ironclad Clickwrap” · matched on meaning · public reporting

Meta sues Voyager Labs for scraping Facebook and Instagram user data

Meta filed a legal action against Voyager Labs, alleging that the company used fake accounts and proprietary software to scrape user data from Facebook and Instagram. The scraping collected profile information, posts, friends lists, photos and comments. Meta disabled Voyager's accounts and sought a permanent injunction. The case was settled in December 2024, with Voyager agreeing to a permanent injunction and monetary payment.

Company involved
Voyager Labs

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-JVU6VY1 Mar 2020

ProctorU threatens UC Santa Barbara faculty over privacy criticism

ProctorU, an online proctoring service, sent a legal threat letter to the University of California Santa Barbara faculty association after the association expressed concerns about ProctorU's data privacy policies. The letter, from ProctorU's lawyer, invoked defamation, copyright, and trademark claims, and was copied to state and federal prosecutors. The faculty association had asked the university to reconsider its relationship with ProctorU due to concerns about student data sharing.

Company involved
ProctorU
AI system involved
ProctorU

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-DLCQWL4 Nov 2024

CanLII sues Caseway AI for scraping legal database

The Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) has filed a lawsuit in British Columbia Supreme Court against Caseway AI, alleging that the company's AI chatbot scraped approximately 3.5 million records from CanLII's database in bulk, violating its terms of service and copyright. CanLII claims it adds value to public court records through hyperlinks and corrections, which it says constitute protected copyrighted work. Caseway AI argues the information is public and accessible elsewhere, and that it did not use CanLII's enhancements. The lawsuit was settled in March 2026, with terms undisclosed.

Company involved
Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII)
AI system involved
Caseway

5 source articles · read the reporting →

Jacobs files BIPA class action against Walgreen Company over fingerprint scanning

A class action lawsuit alleges that Walgreen Company (Walgreens) collected and stored employees' fingerprint data without obtaining informed consent, in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The plaintiff, Jacobs, claims the company used fingerprint scanners for employee timekeeping without providing required disclosures or obtaining written consent. The case is pending in Illinois state court.

Company involved
Walgreen Company
AI system involved
Fingerprint time clock

7 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-FST9Z61 Apr 2018

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 →

TOV Realty, LLC v. Suarez; Kosel Equity, LLC v. MacGregor (SC Connecticut): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, 6 hours CLE;…

The AI generated legal briefs containing fabricated citations, which were submitted to the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Company involved
GLG Law LLC
AI system involved
ChatGPT

1 source article · read the reporting →

Universal Music sues Anthropic over Claude 2 distributing copyrighted lyrics

Universal Music Group and other music publishers have sued AI company Anthropic, alleging that its Claude 2 chatbot generates and distributes copyrighted song lyrics without a license. The complaint, filed in Tennessee, claims that Claude 2 reproduces lyrics from songs like Katy Perry's 'Roar' and Don McLean's 'American Pie' when prompted. The publishers argue that Anthropic's actions constitute copyright infringement and that the company failed to implement effective guardrails to prevent such outputs.

Company involved
Anthropic
AI system involved
Claude 2

9 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-F7YECE5 May 2026

Jessica Fuller v. Hyde School, et al. (D. Maine): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, CLE; Firm procedures and certification; Serve…

The AI generated fictitious legal citations that were submitted to the court in a legal filing.

AI system involved
ChatGPT or Claude

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-DSAOTF14 May 2026

ООО «Точка опоры» v. ООО «ЦСС» (West Siberian District AC): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Monetary Fine

The AI system generated fake legal citations that were submitted to the court, resulting in a fine for contempt.

Company involved
ООО «ЦСС»

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-2Y9MBE5 Jun 2023

OpenAI sued for defamation after ChatGPT fabricates legal accusations

OpenAI is being sued for defamation by Mark Walters, a radio host in Georgia, after ChatGPT generated false information accusing him of defrauding and embezzling funds from a non-profit organization. The false output was created in response to a journalist's request to summarize a real court case. Walters filed the lawsuit on June 5, 2023, in Georgia's Superior Court of Gwinnett County, seeking unspecified damages. The case is believed to be the first defamation lawsuit against OpenAI over ChatGPT's fabrications.

Company involved
OpenAI
AI system involved
ChatGPT

10 source articles · read the reporting →

BC Tribunal Confirms Companies Remain Liable for AI Chatbot-Created Information - Lexology

The AI chatbot provided inaccurate information to a user.

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-59AG1J1 Dec 2021

Worldcoin collected biometric data from poor villagers in Indonesia without informed consent

Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency startup, recruited users in developing countries by offering free cash in exchange for iris scans. The company used deceptive marketing, collected more personal data than acknowledged, and failed to obtain meaningful informed consent. Many users received worthless tokens instead of promised money. The company acknowledged some friction but continued its operations.

Company involved
Worldcoin
AI system involved
chrome orb

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-YQZDB88 Feb 2024

Guangzhou court finds AI company infringed Ultraman copyright

The Guangzhou Internet Court ruled on 8 February 2024 that an unnamed AI company infringed the copyright and adaptation rights of the plaintiff, the exclusive licensee of the Ultraman series images in China. The defendant operated a website offering AI conversation and AI-generated painting services, accessible only to paying members. The plaintiff alleged that the defendant used its Ultraman images without authorisation to train its model and generate substantially similar images. The court ordered the defendant to pay 10,000 yuan ($1,389) in compensation.

Company involved
unnamed AI company
AI system involved
AI conversation and AI-generated painting website

9 source articles · read the reporting →

Andrea Bartz and others sue Anthropic PBC over copyright

In August 2024, Andrea Bartz, Kirk Wallace Johnson and Charles Graeber filed a lawsuit against Anthropic PBC in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. The complaint alleges copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. § 501. Anthropic waived service, and the case was assigned to the court.

Company involved
Anthropic PBC

8 source articles · read the reporting →

Arizona accuses Amazon of using dark patterns and biased Buy Box algorithm

The Arizona Attorney General filed two lawsuits against Amazon on May 15, 2024. One lawsuit alleges that Amazon used deceptive design tricks (dark patterns) to prevent users from canceling Prime subscriptions. The other alleges that Amazon's Buy Box algorithm is biased in favor of Amazon's own products and Fulfillment by Amazon sellers, causing consumers to overpay. Amazon denied the allegations, stating that the lawsuits are based on a misunderstanding.

Company involved
Amazon
AI system involved
Buy Box algorithm

6 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-W5E4OY1 Sep 2021

Utah's online dispute resolution system leads to default judgments against defendants

Utah's online dispute resolution system for small claims cases automatically enters default judgments against defendants who fail to register within 14 days. Samantha Thompson missed the buried notice in her summons and was ordered to pay $995.42 plus wage garnishment. The system has increased default judgment rates, especially for payday lenders. Critics say the confusing paperwork disadvantages low-income litigants.

Company involved
Utah State Courts
AI system involved
Utah Online Dispute Resolution System

4 source articles · read the reporting →

Thomson Reuters wins copyright lawsuit against AI startup Ross Intelligence

In 2020, Thomson Reuters filed a copyright lawsuit against legal AI startup Ross Intelligence, alleging that Ross reproduced materials from its Westlaw legal research service. In February 2025, a US District Court judge ruled in Thomson Reuters' favor, finding that Ross infringed copyright and that fair use did not apply. Ross Intelligence had shut down in 2021 due to litigation costs.

Company involved
Ross Intelligence
AI system involved
Ross Intelligence

4 source articles · read the reporting →

42,900 OpenClaw AI agents exposed, 15,200 vulnerable to RCE

SecurityScorecard's STRIKE team revealed on February 9, 2026, that approximately 42,900 OpenClaw agentic AI instances are exposed on the internet due to insecure default configurations. Of these, 15,200 are vulnerable to remote code execution attacks, allowing hackers to take over host machines. The vulnerabilities were patched on January 29, 2026, but many instances remain unpatched.

AI system involved
OpenClaw

5 source articles · read the reporting →

Tyrone Walker v. Juliane Pierre (CA Massachusetts): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Struck from the record

The AI generated nonexistent legal citations that were included in a court filing, causing the court to strike them from the appellant's brief.

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-MMTM3T1 Nov 2025

Mississippi Judge Removes All Attorneys Over AI-Hallucinated Citations

In Withers v. City of Aberdeen, a contract dispute, both sides' attorneys submitted briefs containing fabricated case citations generated by AI tools. The court identified six non-existent citations and sanctioned all four attorneys, revoking pro hac vice admissions, imposing fines, and referring them to state bars. The drafting attorneys had used AI research and drafting tools without verifying outputs, while local counsel signed filings without review. The ruling emphasises that attorneys cannot delegate verification duties to AI and that ignorance of AI risks is no defence.

AI system involved
First Drafts

2 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-J9NYT94 Sep 2025

Warner Bros. Sues Midjourney for Copyright Infringement

Warner Bros. has filed a lawsuit against Midjourney, alleging that the AI image generation platform willfully creates infringing images and videos of its copyrighted characters, including Superman, Batman, and Bugs Bunny. The lawsuit claims that Midjourney removed guardrails that blocked users from creating infringing videos. The suit seeks statutory damages and an injunction to stop the infringement.

Company involved
Midjourney
AI system involved
Midjourney

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-WNQZLI1 Jan 2020

Clearview AI settles with ACLU over facial recognition database sales

Clearview AI has agreed to stop selling its facial recognition database to most private US companies as part of a proposed settlement with the ACLU. The company scraped billions of images from social media without consent to build its database, violating Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act. The settlement requires Clearview to delete old facial vectors and allow Illinois residents to opt out. The company can still sell its technology to law enforcement and government agencies.

Company involved
Clearview AI
AI system involved
Clearview AI facial recognition database

8 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-452L9H1 Jan 2024

Steak 'n Shake sued over facial recognition kiosks under BIPA

A class action lawsuit alleges that Steak 'n Shake illegally collects facial biometrics from customers using PopID-powered self-ordering kiosks without proper consent. Plaintiff Michael Massel claims the restaurant chain failed to provide notice and obtain written consent as required by Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The suit seeks damages of up to $5,000 per violation for anyone whose biometric data was collected in Illinois in the past five years.

Company involved
Steak 'n Shake
AI system involved
PopID biometric kiosks

6 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-RIS8F729 Jun 2025

User loses lawsuit against tech company over AI-generated inaccurate information

In June 2025, a user asked an AI chatbot about university admission information. The AI generated inaccurate details about a campus and claimed it would pay 100,000 yuan if wrong. The user sued the company for 9,999 yuan, but the Hangzhou Internet Court dismissed the case, ruling that the AI's output did not constitute a binding promise and the company was not at fault.

4 source articles · read the reporting →

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