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 →
Face recognition bypass used to register shell companies for tax fraud in Shanghai
In a major tax fraud case in Shanghai, criminals used face recognition cracking techniques to register shell companies on government platforms. They purchased high-resolution photos and used apps to create fake videos, then used modified phones to bypass face recognition authentication. The scheme resulted in fraudulent invoices totaling over 500 million yuan. The case was prosecuted by the Shanghai procuratorate.
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Deep-Live-Cam enables real-time face swapping, raising fraud concerns
A software package called Deep-Live-Cam has gone viral for enabling real-time face swapping on webcams using a single photo. The tool, which is free and open source, allows anyone to impersonate another person's appearance in a video chat, raising concerns about remote deception and fraud. The article notes that similar technology has been used in a $25 million heist in Hong Kong and in audio deepfake scams.
- AI system involved
- Deep-Live-Cam
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Character.AI accidentally exposes users' chat histories and personal data
Character.AI users reported being unexpectedly logged into strangers' accounts, exposing their chat histories, personas, and identifying information. The Google-backed chatbot company acknowledged the security lapse and said it quickly corrected the issue. The incident raises serious privacy concerns for the platform's users.
- Company involved
- Character.AI
- AI system involved
- Character.AI
1 source article · read the reporting →
New Jersey court rules police must disclose facial recognition algorithms used to identify defendant
Francisco Arteaga was charged with armed robbery after a facial recognition search by the New York Police Department identified him as a possible match. The New Jersey police used this match to obtain witness identifications. Arteaga requested information about the facial recognition software, including its source code and error rate, but the trial court denied his request. The New Jersey appellate court ruled that the prosecution must disclose the algorithms, citing due process and the Brady rule.
- Company involved
- New Jersey Police
7 source articles · read the reporting →
St. Louis police arrest man after facial recognition match without corroboration
Christopher Gatlin was arrested and jailed for an assault on a security guard after police used facial recognition software to identify him from a blurry surveillance image. The lead detective built a case against Gatlin despite the city's policy that AI results are nonscientific and should not be the sole basis for a decision. A witness was steered by officers to select Gatlin from a photo lineup, and the case was later dismissed after more than two years. Gatlin alleges wrongful arrest and has filed a lawsuit.
- Company involved
- St. Louis County Police Department
- AI system involved
- Unnamed facial recognition program
4 source articles · read the reporting →
ElevenLabs voice cloning tool used to create deepfake celebrity audio clips
Speech AI startup ElevenLabs launched a beta voice cloning tool. Within days, users on 4chan posted deepfake audio clips featuring voices resembling celebrities like Emma Watson reading offensive material. ElevenLabs acknowledged the misuse and said it is considering additional safeguards.
- Company involved
- ElevenLabs
- AI system involved
- ElevenLabs platform
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 →
Short drama company YaoKe Media signs AI actors, sparking backlash over uncanny valley and likeness rights
On March 18, 2026, Chinese short drama company YaoKe Media announced the signing of two AI digital actors, Qin Lingyue and Lin Xiyan, and the production of an AI drama 'Qinling'. The AI actors, which resemble real celebrities like Zhao Jinmai, prompted netizens to call for rights protection on behalf of the real actors. Critics also complained about the 'uncanny valley' effect, with the term 'AI actor fake human feeling' trending on Weibo. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about unauthorized use of facial data in AI training and the potential displacement of human actors.
- Company involved
- 耀客传媒 (YaoKe Media)
- AI system involved
- 秦凌岳, 林汐颜 (AI actors) and AI drama 《秦岭》
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Woman discovers past photos via facial recognition search
A woman scanned her face on a facial recognition search engine and discovered old photographs from a traumatic period in her past that she believed were forgotten. The incident highlights privacy risks of facial recognition technology.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
City analyst Michael Hewson cloned in AI deepfake scam on social media
A deepfake video using AI to impersonate City analyst Michael Hewson circulated on Facebook and Instagram, directing users to a WhatsApp group promising undervalued investments. The scam used fear-of-missing-out tactics to lure victims. Hewson publicly disavowed the video and reported it to Meta, expressing anger.
- Company involved
- Meta
4 source articles · read the reporting →
PimEyes facial recognition used to unmask porn actors and Facebook friends
A man used the facial recognition site PimEyes to identify porn actors and women from his Facebook friends by uploading their photos and finding matching images online. The system had no controls to prevent searching for others without consent. The article alleges that this invasion of privacy could lead to discrimination and harassment, and that PimEyes offered a paid service to remove photos but did not prevent the searches.
- Company involved
- PimEyes
- AI system involved
- PimEyes
3 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 →
OpenAI's Sora video generator leaked by group in protest
A group calling itself 'Sora PR Puppets' leaked access to OpenAI's Sora video generator by publishing a front end on Hugging Face using authentication tokens from an early access program. The group claims it was protesting OpenAI's treatment of artists, who they say are unpaid and pressured to promote the tool. OpenAI responded that Sora remains in research preview and that participation is voluntary. The leak was shut down after a few hours.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- Sora
5 source articles · read the reporting →
User reports AI image generator producing inaccurate historical images
A user interacting with an AI image generation system found that it produced images of historical figures that were not representative of the actual participants. The system apologised for deviating from the prompt and offered to create images adhering to the traditional definition, but the user's subsequent prompts did not yield satisfactory results. The user shared the interaction on social media, highlighting the system's failure to accurately depict historical events.
10 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 →
MakeApp makeup removal app adds imperfections, causing controversy
MakeApp, an AI-powered app that digitally removes makeup from photos, has caused controversy by adding imperfections such as redness and dullness to users' faces. Users complained on Twitter that the app exacerbates insecurities and low self-esteem. The founder defended the app as an experiment, denying any intent to shame women.
- Company involved
- MakeApp
- AI system involved
- MakeApp
10 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 →
Hive Box Facial-Recognition Lockers Hacked by Children Using Photos
Fourth-grade students in Jiaxing, China, demonstrated that Hive Box's facial-recognition smart lockers could be opened with a printed photo. The company, which operates a large network of delivery lockers, acknowledged the flaw and suspended the beta feature. The incident raised concerns about the security of facial recognition technology.
- Company involved
- Hive Box
1 source article · read the reporting →
AI created deepfake of TikTok user Michel Janse
Michel Janse posted a video stating that AI stole her likeness and created a deepfake of her. The deepfake was created without her consent. She shared the story on TikTok.
9 source articles · read the reporting →
X's Grok AI used to create racist images of football players
In December 2024, X's Grok AI chatbot was used to generate photorealistic racist images of several football players and managers, including depictions of a black player picking cotton and eating bananas with monkeys. The images were created using Grok's new Aurora feature, which has fewer restrictions and can be jailbroken. Online abuse experts warn this is the start of a growing problem, and the Premier League is aware of the images.
- Company involved
- X
- AI system involved
- Grok
1 source article · read the reporting →
RT launches AI-generated presenters without consistent disclosure
RT unveiled AI-generated 'journalists' Anastasia and Alexander on its Spanish-language channel RT Español. In 70% of the videos reviewed, the broadcasts failed to disclose that these presenters were artificial. The presenters covered a range of topics, including controversial and politically sensitive subjects, raising ethical concerns about transparency and potential manipulation of audiences.
- Company involved
- RT
- AI system involved
- Anastasia and Alexander (AI-generated presenters)
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Sheerluxe's AI fashion editor Reem sparks backlash
Sheerluxe, a women's lifestyle publication, announced the hiring of an AI-generated fashion and lifestyle editor named Reem. The AI editor, depicted as an attractive Arab woman, was criticized for setting unobtainable beauty standards and for not hiring a real person of colour. Sheerluxe later apologized, stating that Reem is an AI-generated image only and not replacing a human role.
- Company involved
- Sheerluxe
- AI system involved
- Reem
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Luma's Dream Machine generates video with Disney character
Luma's AI video tool Dream Machine generated a trailer that included a recognizable character from Disney's Monsters, Inc. The company's CEO said a user uploaded an image containing the character, which the system then animated. The incident raises concerns about lack of transparency in training data and potential copyright infringement. Disney has not publicly commented.
- Company involved
- Luma
- AI system involved
- Dream Machine
7 source articles · read the reporting →
