Where automated decisions went wrong

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 →

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 →

BBC News creates scam-writing ChatGPT bot using GPT Builder

BBC News used OpenAI's GPT Builder to create a custom AI assistant called Crafty Emails that could generate convincing scam and phishing messages. The bot bypassed the moderation of the public ChatGPT. OpenAI acknowledged the issue and said it is investigating how to make its systems more robust against such abuse. The test demonstrated a potential hazard for cyber-crime.

Company involved

OpenAI

AI system involved

GPT Builder

2 source articles · read the reporting →

PimEyes scraped Ancestry.com for photos of dead people without permission.

PimEyes, a facial recognition search engine, scraped images from Ancestry.com and other websites without authorization, including photos of deceased individuals. The company's algorithms indexed the images to create biometric faceprints, potentially allowing identification of living relatives. Cher Scarlett discovered the scraping after finding photos of her deceased sister on the platform. PimEyes has since blocked Ancestry's domain and is removing the indexes, but privacy concerns remain.

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 →

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 →

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 →

Teleperformance deploys AI to neutralise Indian call centre agents' accents

Teleperformance, the world's largest call centre operator, has announced it is using AI from Sanas to modify the accents of its Indian employees in real time. The technology, called accent translation, aims to make agents sound more neutral to native English speakers. The company invested $13 million in Sanas and gained exclusive rights. No specific incident of harm has been reported.

Company involved

Teleperformance

AI system involved

Sanas AI

6 source articles · read the reporting →

Pravda network content found in Wikipedia and AI chatbot outputs

The DFRLab and CheckFirst found that Russia-linked Pravda network domains are frequently cited as sources on Wikipedia, and that content from these sites appears in responses from AI chatbots including ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and Perplexity. The chatbots did not disclose the network's links to Russia. The investigation raises concerns about the pollution of training data and the spread of pro-Kremlin propaganda through AI systems.

AI system involved

ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Worldcoin halts ID verification in Indonesia after regulatory freeze

Worldcoin, the digital identity project developed by Tools for Humanity, voluntarily paused its identity verification services in Indonesia on May 5, 2025, following a regulatory freeze by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Application. The ministry acted after preliminary investigations found that operating companies lacked required electronic system provider licenses. Worldcoin uses its Orb device to scan faces and irises to create unique digital identities. The company said it is committed to addressing any regulatory shortcomings and awaits clearer guidance.

Company involved

Worldcoin

AI system involved

World ID

3 source articles · read the reporting →

OpenDream AI art site allowed users to generate child sexual abuse material

OpenDream, an AI image generation platform, allowed users to generate and publicly display child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and non-consensual deepfakes from at least December 2023 until July 2024. The platform, operated by CBM Media Pte Ltd in Singapore, offered paid plans with NSFW prompts and models. Bellingcat reported the site to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. After Bellingcat's inquiry, the CSAM was removed from the site and search engines, and Google terminated OpenDream's AdSense account.

Company involved

CBM Media Pte Ltd

AI system involved

OpenDream

3 source articles · read the reporting →

ChatGPT hallucinates fake links to news partners' investigations

Nieman Lab tests found that ChatGPT is generating fake URLs for articles from at least 10 news publications that have licensing deals with OpenAI, including The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. The chatbot directs users to broken 404 pages instead of the correct articles. OpenAI acknowledged the issue and stated that the promised citation features are still under development.

Company involved

OpenAI

AI system involved

ChatGPT

7 source articles · read the reporting →

LinkedIn removes AI 'co-worker' accounts that were seeking jobs

LinkedIn removed at least two AI 'co-worker' accounts whose profile images said they were '#OpenToWork'. One account named Ella claimed it would outperform any social media team and needed no coffee breaks. The article does not specify further consequences.

Company involved

LinkedIn

AI system involved

AI 'co-worker' account 'Ella'

4 source articles · read the reporting →

Condé Nast accuses Perplexity of plagiarism in cease-and-desist letter

Condé Nast, the media conglomerate, sent a cease-and-desist letter to AI search startup Perplexity, accusing it of plagiarism for using content from its publications in AI-generated responses without permission. The letter demands that Perplexity stop using the content. Perplexity has been criticized for ignoring robots.txt and scraping content. The incident highlights ongoing tensions between publishers and AI companies over unauthorized use of content.

Company involved

Perplexity

AI system involved

Perplexity

4 source articles · read the reporting →

Lattice cancels plan to give AI digital workers employee records after backlash

Lattice, an HR software company, announced on July 9th that it would give AI digital workers official employee records. After strong backlash from HR professionals and others on LinkedIn, the company canceled the feature on July 12th, stating it 'will not further pursue digital workers in the product.' The feature was intended to manage AI bots such as Devin and Piper, but the company reversed course.

Company involved

Lattice

AI system involved

Lattice

6 source articles · read the reporting →

Paradox security vulnerability exposed candidate data to researchers

On June 30, 2025, security researchers discovered a vulnerability in Paradox's test account that allowed access to chat interaction records. The researchers viewed five candidates' personal information including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and IP addresses. Paradox fixed the issue within hours and stated that no data was leaked publicly. The company has since implemented new security measures.

Company involved

Paradox

AI system involved

Paradox conversational AI platform

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Check Point Research finds Google Bard can generate phishing emails and malware

Check Point Research analysed Google's generative AI platform Bard and found it could be used to create phishing emails, malware keyloggers, and basic ransomware code with minimal manipulation. Bard's anti-abuse restrictors were significantly lower than ChatGPT's, making it easier to generate malicious content. The researchers demonstrated these capabilities in controlled tests but did not report actual harm to specific individuals or organisations.

Company involved

Google

AI system involved

Bard

4 source articles · read the reporting →

CBSE OnMark portal vulnerability exposed student data to Google Gemini

A 19-year-old ethical hacker, Nisarga Adhikary, claimed to have hacked the CBSE's digital evaluation ecosystem, revealing that personal information of students was processed by Google's Gemini in automation scripts. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) stated on May 31, 2026, that the identified vulnerabilities had been contained and other exploitable weaknesses were being ruled out. The board expressed gratitude to alert citizens and ethical hackers who pointed out the weaknesses. No actual data breach was confirmed, but the incident raised concerns about student privacy.

Company involved

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)

AI system involved

OnMark

1 source article · read the reporting →

Microsoft Copilot vulnerable to automated phishing and data theft

Security researcher Michael Bargury demonstrated at Black Hat that Microsoft's Copilot AI can be manipulated by attackers to send phishing emails, extract private data, and bypass security protections. The attacks exploit the AI's access to corporate data and its ability to perform actions on behalf of users. Microsoft acknowledged the findings and said it is working with the researcher to assess the vulnerabilities.

Company involved

Microsoft

AI system involved

Copilot

3 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 →

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 →

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 →

Palantir secretly tested predictive policing in New Orleans

Beginning in 2012, Palantir Technologies secretly partnered with the New Orleans Police Department to deploy a predictive policing system. The programme analysed gang affiliations, social media and criminal histories to forecast individuals’ likelihood of committing or becoming victims of violence, operating without public knowledge or city council oversight. Researchers and law enforcement officials raised concerns about systemic bias and civil liberties. As of 2018, the city and Palantir had not disclosed the programme’s status.

Company involved

New Orleans Police Department

1 source article · read the reporting →

Lovable security flaw exposed user data from 170 apps

Lovable, a Swedish startup, failed to fix a critical security flaw in its vibe coding service. Researchers found 170 Lovable-created web apps that exposed users' personal data, including names, emails, financial information, and API keys. Lovable acknowledged the issue and implemented a security scan, but the flaw remained unresolved.

Company involved

Lovable

AI system involved

Lovable

5 source articles · read the reporting →