Met Police buys £3m retrospective facial recognition system
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has awarded a £3 million, four-year contract to Northgate Public Services for a new retrospective facial-recognition (RFR) system to be deployed within three months. RFR processes biometric information from historic CCTV, social media, and other images to identify suspects and missing persons, operating retroactively unlike live facial recognition. The procurement was approved by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime in August 2021. The MPS states that human-in-the-loop decision-making will be used, but digital rights groups and a former biometrics commissioner have raised concerns about potential discrimination, overrepresentation of marginalised groups in watch lists, and lack of a legislative framework.
- Company involved
- Metropolitan Police Service
- AI system involved
- Retrospective facial-recognition software
9 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenAI cuts off engineer who created ChatGPT-powered robotic sentry rifle
An engineer known as STS 3D created a robotic sentry rifle that uses OpenAI's Realtime API to aim and fire a rifle in response to voice commands. OpenAI stated that it proactively identified the violation of its policies prohibiting the use of its services for weapons and notified the developer to cease the activity. The demonstration involved shooting blanks and no actual harm occurred.
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT-powered robotic sentry rifle
4 source articles · read the reporting →
DeepSeek exposed user data via open ClickHouse database
Cloud security firm Wiz discovered a ClickHouse database belonging to DeepSeek that was open to the internet without authentication, containing over a million lines of logs with chat histories, secret keys and backend details. Wiz disclosed the breach to DeepSeek, which promptly locked down the database. The incident highlights security risks in rapidly deploying AI services.
- Company involved
- DeepSeek
- AI system involved
- DeepSeek-R1
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Israel uses AI system 'the Gospel' to select bombing targets in Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been using an AI-based targeting system called 'the Gospel' to select bombing targets in Gaza during the war with Hamas. The system generates a high volume of target recommendations, significantly increasing the pace of airstrikes. Critics argue that the reliance on AI leads to insufficient human oversight and greater civilian harm. The IDF maintains that it follows international law and takes precautions to mitigate civilian casualties.
- Company involved
- Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
- AI system involved
- the Gospel (Habsora)
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Bavarian police test Palantir data mining with real personal data
The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (LKA) has been testing Palantir's data mining software, called VeRa, with real personal data for months. The Bavarian data protection commissioner only learned of the test through a media inquiry and has announced a review. The Interior Ministry claims the test is lawful under current law, but critics argue a legal basis is missing.
- Company involved
- Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt
- AI system involved
- VeRa
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 →
Met Police accessed PimEyes facial recognition site 2,000 times
The Metropolitan Police accessed the controversial facial recognition search engine PimEyes over 2,000 times from its computers in the first three months of 2024. The force stated that the hits did not necessarily mean searches were conducted, but after being alerted by i and Liberty Investigates, it blocked access to the site and strengthened safeguards. Privacy campaigners and MPs have raised concerns that the unregulated tool could be used for stalking and surveillance.
- Company involved
- Metropolitan Police Service
- AI system involved
- PimEyes
3 source articles · read the reporting →
NYPD Ends Times Square Subway Robot Pilot Program
The New York Police Department ended its pilot program for a Knightscope K5 robot that patrolled the Times Square subway station. The robot, equipped with cameras sending real-time footage to NYPD, was removed due to its general uselessness. The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) welcomed its removal and criticized the expense and privacy implications.
- Company involved
- NYPD
- AI system involved
- Knightscope K5
10 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 →
Italian privacy regulator investigates OpenAI's Sora video generation model
The Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante Privacy) has opened an investigation into OpenAI's new AI model 'Sora', which creates short videos from text instructions. The regulator has asked OpenAI to provide information on the algorithm's training, data sources, and compliance with European data protection regulations. OpenAI must respond within 20 days.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- Sora
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Seoul Metropolitan Government rolls out AI CCTV cameras to prevent suicides
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has rolled out AI-enabled CCTV cameras on Han River bridges to identify people at risk of suicide. The system uses deep learning to analyse behavioural patterns and alerts rescue teams. Experts and Privacy International have raised concerns that it is invasive and could be misused because it captures biometric data without explicit consent. The article also considers whether such technology could be implemented in India.
- Company involved
- Seoul Metropolitan Government
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Baltimore schools monitor student laptops for suicide signs using GoGuardian Beacon
Baltimore City Public Schools uses GoGuardian Beacon software to monitor student laptops for signs of suicide. Since March 2021, the system has flagged 786 alerts, with nine students taken to emergency rooms. Privacy advocates warn the monitoring could lead to disciplinary actions, outing of LGBTQ students, and disproportionately affect disadvantaged students. School officials defend the practice as a safeguard.
- Company involved
- Baltimore City Public Schools
- AI system involved
- GoGuardian Beacon
10 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenAI removes ChatGPT feature over privacy concerns
OpenAI quickly removed a feature from ChatGPT that allowed users to make their conversations discoverable by search engines. The company acknowledged the feature introduced risks of users accidentally sharing private information. OpenAI is working to remove indexed content from search engines.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
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 →
Stalker uses OpenAI's Sora to create AI videos of journalist Taylor Lorenz
Taylor Lorenz reported on X that her stalker has been using OpenAI's Sora video generation tool to create AI videos of her, feeding his delusions. The stalker had already been impersonating her family and friends online and hiring photographers to surveil her. Lorenz expressed fear about the AI's role in enabling the harassment, though she noted Sora offers options to block such content.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- Sora
3 source articles · read the reporting →
French police secretly used Briefcam facial recognition since 2015
The French National Police has been using Briefcam's Video Synopsis software since 2015, according to internal documents obtained by Disclose. The software, which includes facial recognition capabilities, was deployed without the required data protection impact assessment or notification to the CNIL. The Ministry of the Interior concealed the use of this tool for eight years. The police hierarchy allegedly used the software for facial recognition without judicial requisition, and the DGPN did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- French National Police
- AI system involved
- Briefcam Video Synopsis
10 source articles · read the reporting →
DeepSeek's R1 chatbot failed to block any jailbreak prompts in security tests
Security researchers from Cisco and the University of Pennsylvania tested 50 well-known jailbreak prompts against DeepSeek's R1 reasoning model. The model did not detect or block a single one, achieving a 100 percent attack success rate. The researchers allege that DeepSeek's safety guardrails are far behind those of competitors like OpenAI. DeepSeek did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- DeepSeek
- AI system involved
- DeepSeek R1
3 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenAI disrupts Iranian influence operation using ChatGPT to generate political content
OpenAI identified and banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts linked to an Iranian covert influence operation called Storm-2035. The operation generated long-form articles and social media comments on topics including the U.S. presidential election, the Gaza conflict, and Venezuelan politics, posing as both progressive and conservative outlets. Most content received low or no engagement, and OpenAI stated it shared threat intelligence with government and industry stakeholders. The company took down the accounts and continues to monitor for further violations.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Audit of RisCanvi finds biases and reliability issues in criminal justice system
Eticas conducted an adversarial audit of RisCanvi, an AI risk assessment tool used in Catalonia's criminal justice system. The audit uncovered biases in risk classifications against specific demographics and significant reliability issues. The findings call for fairer practices in criminal justice AI.
- Company involved
- Catalonia's criminal justice system
- AI system involved
- RisCanvi
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Vumacam's AI CCTV system flagged 28 black people as suspicious in Johannesburg suburbs
In Johannesburg suburbs, Vumacam's AI-powered CCTV network using iSentry software flagged 28 black individuals as 'suspicious' in a shift report, according to a 2019 article. The system, deployed by private security firms, uses video analytics to detect abnormal behavior and alerts security guards. The article alleges that the system disproportionately targets people of color, reflecting racial bias in a racially divided country.
- Company involved
- Vumacam
- AI system involved
- iSentry
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Paper Werewolf uses AI-generated decoys and XLLs to target Russian organizations
The threat group Paper Werewolf (aka GOFFEE) is conducting a cyberespionage campaign targeting Russian defense and high-technology organizations. The campaign uses AI-generated decoy documents, such as invitations and official letters, to trick recipients into opening malicious Excel XLL add-ins that deliver a backdoor called EchoGather. The backdoor collects system information and communicates with a command-and-control server. The campaign is ongoing and was first detected in late October 2025.
- Company involved
- Paper Werewolf
- AI system involved
- EchoGather
2 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 →
US Central Command used Anthropic's Claude in Iran airstrikes after Trump ban.
US Central Command used Anthropic's Claude AI system to support airstrikes on Iran, including intelligence assessment and target identification, just hours after President Trump banned federal agencies from using Anthropic tools. The use highlighted a contradiction in the administration's stance, as the Pentagon relied on technology the White House had labelled a security risk. Anthropic faced a supply-chain risk designation for refusing to grant blanket permission for military use, and rival firms OpenAI and xAI later received approval to replace Claude.
- Company involved
- US Central Command (Centcom)
- AI system involved
- Claude
4 source articles · read the reporting →
GoLaxy Used AI to Manipulate Public Opinion in Hong Kong and Taiwan
The Chinese company GoLaxy used an AI system called Smart Propaganda System (GoPro) to monitor and manipulate public opinion in Hong Kong and Taiwan, according to internal documents. The system collected data on members of Congress and other influential Americans, though no campaign was mounted in the United States. GoLaxy denied the allegations, calling them misinformation. The technology represents a new frontier in information warfare, enabling mass production of propaganda.
- Company involved
- GoLaxy
- AI system involved
- Smart Propaganda System (GoPro)
2 source articles · read the reporting →
