Five Illinois residents sue facial recognition company Pimeyes under BIPA
Five Illinois residents are suing Pimeyes, a facial recognition search engine, alleging that the company violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act by collecting and using their facial data without consent. The lawsuit claims that Pimeyes made the residents' photos and information available in search results, enabling unauthorized access. The company has not yet been served with the lawsuit, and its CEO stated he had no prior knowledge of the case.
- Company involved
- Pimeyes
- AI system involved
- Pimeyes
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 →
OnlyFake site uses neural networks to generate fake IDs, bypasses OKX verification
An underground website called OnlyFake uses neural networks to generate realistic photos of fake IDs for $15. The journalist tested the service and obtained a convincing California driver's license. They then used another fake ID to successfully bypass the identity verification process on OKX, a cryptocurrency exchange. The article alleges that this technology could streamline bank fraud and money laundering, but reports no actual financial loss.
- Company involved
- OKX
- AI system involved
- OnlyFake
10 source articles · read the reporting →
EvenUp AI errors in personal injury demand letters lead to scrutiny
EvenUp, a legal tech startup valued at $1 billion, uses AI to draft personal injury demand letters. Former employees revealed that the AI system frequently makes errors, including missing injuries and fabricating medical conditions. The company defends its hybrid approach with human oversight, but critics allege overpromised AI capabilities.
- Company involved
- EvenUp
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Leonardo AI misused to create nonconsensual explicit images of celebrities
Leonardo AI, an AI image-generating platform backed by Samsung, has been misused to create nonconsensual explicit images of celebrities. The platform allows users to generate images using user-generated Stable Diffusion models. Users bypassed ethical guardrails by misspelling celebrity names and using sexually suggestive terms. The misuse was reported by 404 Media.
- Company involved
- Leonardo AI
- AI system involved
- Leonardo AI
5 source articles · read the reporting →
iBorderCtrl lie detector falsely flagged honest reporter as liar
A journalist testing Europe's iBorderCtrl virtual policeman at the Serbian-Hungarian border gave honest answers but was deemed a liar by the system, scoring 48 out of 100 with four false answers flagged. The Hungarian policeman said the result suggested further checks, though none were carried out. The reporter only learned of the result after filing a data access request under European privacy laws. Experts and transparency activists have criticised the technology as pseudoscientific and potentially discriminatory.
- Company involved
- iBorderCtrl consortium
- AI system involved
- Silent Talker / iBorderCtrl virtual policeman
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Manchester Arena's Evolv weapon scanners fail to detect some knives, report finds
ASM Global's use of Evolv Express AI weapon scanners at Manchester Arena has been questioned after a private report found the system failed to detect large knives in 42% of walkthroughs. The report, produced by NCS4 and obtained by IPVM, also suggested the scanners may miss some bombs and components. Evolv did not dispute the findings but said it communicates capabilities and limitations to customers. ASM Global declined to comment on security matters.
- Company involved
- ASM Global
- AI system involved
- Evolv Express
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Grok AI chatbot falsely claims police misrepresented far-right rally footage in London
On 13 September 2025, Grok, an AI chatbot from xAI integrated into X, responded to a user's query by falsely stating that footage of police clashing with crowds at a far-right rally in London was from a 2020 anti-lockdown protest. The Metropolitan Police was forced to rebut the misinformation, confirming the footage was from that day's rally. X users, including a columnist, amplified the false claim. X has been approached for comment.
- Company involved
- X (formerly Twitter)
- AI system involved
- Grok
3 source articles · read the reporting →
News/Media Alliance study finds unauthorised use of publisher content to train AI
The News/Media Alliance alleges that generative AI developers have copied and used publishers' content without authorisation to train large language models. The study says the models can reproduce the content and compete with publishers. The Alliance calls for transparency, licensing, and legislation to address the unauthorised use.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Outabox hack exposes biometric data of patrons at bars, clubs and casinos
Hackers claiming to be former employees published a website allowing searches of Outabox's facial recognition database, exposing biometric and other sensitive data of patrons used for age verification at bars, clubs and casinos. The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project warns that the breach demonstrates the danger of facial recognition for age verification. S.T.O.P. has launched a campaign to ban facial recognition in public accommodations.
- Company involved
- Outabox
8 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 →
PimEyes facial recognition search engine identifies individuals from public photos
PimEyes, a Polish facial recognition search engine, allows users to upload a photo and find matching images from across the internet. The system scrapes billions of photos and creates biometric profiles without consent. A banker named Dylan (pseudonym) discovered that an old party photo of him was found by the system, potentially outing his private life. Privacy advocates and platforms like Instagram and YouTube are taking action against PimEyes, alleging violations of the GDPR.
- Company involved
- PimEyes
- AI system involved
- PimEyes
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Ukrainian Hacker Pleads Guilty to Operating OnlyFake AI ID Scam Site
Yurii Nazarenko, a Ukrainian national, pleaded guilty to running OnlyFake, an AI-powered website that generated and sold over 10,000 counterfeit identification documents globally. The site allowed users to create realistic fake IDs, including driver's licenses and passports, to bypass identity verification at banks and cryptocurrency exchanges. Nazarenko faces up to 15 years in prison and agreed to forfeit $1.2 million. Sentencing is scheduled for June 2026.
- Company involved
- OnlyFake
- AI system involved
- OnlyFake
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Clearview AI facial recognition app scrapes billions of images and is used by police
Clearview AI, a secretive start-up, built a facial recognition app that matches photos to a database of more than three billion images scraped from social media and websites. More than 600 law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, have used the tool to identify suspects in crimes such as shoplifting, identity theft and murder. The company monitored officers who ran a reporter's photo through the app, and its founder acknowledged designing an augmented-reality prototype but said there were no plans to release it. Critics warned the tool could end anonymity and enable misuse.
- Company involved
- Clearview AI
- AI system involved
- Clearview AI facial recognition app
2 source articles · read the reporting →
SEC charges YouPlus and CEO with defrauding investors
The SEC charged machine-learning startup YouPlus and its CEO Shaukat Shamim with defrauding investors. Shamim allegedly made false statements about the company's revenue and customer numbers, including providing falsified bank statements. The scheme unravelled when Shamim confessed to investors that the company had earned less than $500,000 and had only four paying customers since 2013. The SEC is seeking permanent injunctions, civil penalties, and an officer-and-director bar.
- Company involved
- YouPlus
- AI system involved
- YouPlus machine-learning tool
1 source article · read the reporting →
Xuhui police expand facial recognition surveillance to profile 1.1 million residents
The Xuhui District branch of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Public Security is expanding its Intelligent Image Recognition System, adding 2,500 facial recognition cameras and increased computing capacity to build profiles of residents and flag deviations. The project, contracted to US-sanctioned FiberHome, is designed to match each face to files on more than 50 million people. Officials say the system will analyse behaviour patterns and trigger early warnings.
- Company involved
- Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Public Security, Xuhui District Branch
- AI system involved
- Intelligent Image Recognition System
3 source articles · read the reporting →
LinkedIn Used by Foreign Spies with AI-Generated Photos to Target US Officials
Foreign intelligence operations created fake LinkedIn profiles with AI-generated photos to connect with US politicians, lobbyists, and government officials. The fake accounts, such as 'Katie Jones,' sent connection requests to gain credibility and access. LinkedIn removed the account after being contacted by the Associated Press, but the platform remains vulnerable to such espionage tactics.
- Company involved
- LinkedIn
1 source article · read the reporting →
Las Vegas police used unsuitable facial recognition images in nearly half of searches
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) used 'non-suitable' probe images in 451 of 924 facial recognition searches in 2019, greatly increasing the risk of false identifications. The system, supplied by Vigilant Solutions, returned likely matches in only 18% of those searches, yet led to arrests in at least 73 cases. Critics and researchers warn this practice heightens the chance of wrongful arrests, and one defence attorney said he was never informed facial recognition was used to identify his client.
- Company involved
- Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
- AI system involved
- Vigilant Solutions facial recognition system
1 source article · read the reporting →
Arizona Unemployment Applicants Required to Submit Facial Recognition
People applying for unemployment benefits in Arizona must verify their identity via facial recognition software provided by ID.me. If the system fails to match a selfie to a photo ID, applicants can be denied benefits unless they successfully complete a video chat with a referee. A class-action lawsuit filed in June 2021 alleges that the practice violates due process rights and discriminates against people of colour.
- Company involved
- Arizona Department of Economic Security
- AI system involved
- ID.me
1 source article · read the reporting →
X's algorithm amplifies right-wing and extreme content, Sky News investigation finds
A Sky News investigation found that X's algorithm amplifies right-wing and extreme content. The Data and Forensics team conducted a nine-month investigation into the platform's recommendation system. The findings indicate that the algorithm boosts such content, potentially influencing political discourse in the UK.
- Company involved
- X
- AI system involved
- X's algorithm
4 source articles · read the reporting →
NYPD Used Facial Recognition to Target Black Lives Matter Activist Derrick Ingram
The NYPD used facial recognition technology to identify Derrick Ingram, a 28-year-old Black Lives Matter activist, leading to a raid on his Hell's Kitchen apartment by over 50 officers on 7 August 2020. The NYPD's Facial Identification Section generated a lead from a photo taken from Ingram's Instagram page, despite the department's policy of using only surveillance video or arrest photos. Ingram's attorney alleges the five-hour siege was an intimidation campaign that interfered with his constitutional rights. The NYPD acknowledged using facial recognition as a limited investigative tool.
- Company involved
- NYPD
- AI system involved
- Facial Identification Section
3 source articles · read the reporting →
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 →
Macy's and Sunglass Hut facial recognition misidentifies man, leading to wrongful jailing
Harvey Eugene Murphy Jr was misidentified by facial recognition software used by Sunglass Hut and Macy's as the perpetrator of an armed robbery. He was arrested and jailed, where he alleges he was beaten and raped. His alibi was later confirmed and charges were dropped. He is suing the companies for $10 million in damages.
- Company involved
- Macy's and EssilorLuxottica
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Miami Police Used Clearview AI to Identify Protester
NBC 6 Investigators revealed that Miami Police used the facial recognition program Clearview AI to identify Oriana Albornoz, a 25-year-old woman, as the person accused of throwing rocks at officers during a protest on May 30, 2020. She was arrested a month later and charged with battery on a police officer; her attorney said he was unaware police had used the technology, as it was not disclosed in the arrest report. The police department acknowledged using Clearview AI to identify violent protest suspects after the fact, but stated they do not surveil peaceful protesters. The case is ongoing, with Albornoz pleading not guilty.
- Company involved
- Miami Police Department
- AI system involved
- Clearview AI
4 source articles · read the reporting →
