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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164 incidents closest to “Citizen Self-Service Portal” · matched on meaning · public reporting

Pega's Hidden AI Tool Listens To US Bank Calls, Suit Says - Law360

The system secretly recorded customer service calls, affecting bank customers.

Company involved
U.S. Bancorp

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-1YTNE61 Jan 2026

New Records Show Medicare WISeR AI Prior Authorization Model Causing Inappropriate Denials of Care - Medicare Rights Center

The system denied or delayed prior authorization for medical procedures, affecting Medicare beneficiaries in six states.

Company involved
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
AI system involved
WISeR

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-2LAYJ824 Apr 2019

Buenos Aires city government uses live facial recognition to track minors in criminal database

The Buenos Aires city government deployed a live facial recognition system in April 2019 that scans subway passengers and matches them against CONARC, a national database of alleged offenders. Human Rights Watch found that the database includes at least 166 children, some as young as one to three years old, and that the system has led to numerous false arrests. The system was implemented without public consultation, and there is no mechanism to correct mistakes. A civil rights organization filed a lawsuit, and the government is pushing a bill to legalize the technology.

Company involved
Buenos Aires city government

1 source article · read the reporting →

Bahia Facial Recognition System Misidentifies Black Man as Wanted Criminal

Davi, a black administrative assistant, was tracked across 15 metro stations and approached by police after Bahia's facial recognition system falsely matched him to a wanted person. He was released after officers verified his identity. The system, supplied by Iecisa and Huawei, has a low accuracy rate and disproportionately affects black people. The government plans to expand it despite concerns over racial bias and errors.

Company involved
Secretaria de Segurança Pública da Bahia

2 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-HF1YRW1 Sep 2023

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 →

WF-04DJR81 Jun 2020

Kmart's facial recognition system for refund fraud found unlawful by Privacy Commissioner

Kmart Australia deployed facial recognition technology in 28 stores from June 2020 to July 2022, capturing biometric data of every customer entering the stores and those at returns counters to detect refund fraud. The system collected sensitive information without notifying customers or obtaining their consent. The Australian Privacy Commissioner found that Kmart breached the Privacy Act, as the exemption for unlawful activity did not justify the indiscriminate and disproportionate collection of biometric data from thousands of individuals. Kmart has ceased using the system and cooperated with the investigation.

Company involved
Kmart Australia Limited

7 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-IWL4TH1 Jan 2018

US Secret Service bought access to cellphone location data

The US Secret Service signed a contract to access Locate X, a service that aggregates location data from phone apps and allows law enforcement to track devices without a warrant. The contract with Babel Street was worth about $36,000 and ran from 2017 to 2018. A former employee said the Secret Service used Locate X in 2018 to seize illegal credit card skimmers at petrol stations. Lawmakers and civil liberties advocates criticised the practice, and Senator Ron Wyden introduced a bill to ban such purchases.

Company involved
United States Secret Service
AI system involved
Locate X

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-DJ8Y8I20 Jan 2025

Labor unions sue Trump administration over AI social media surveillance

Three labor unions (UAW, CWA, AFT) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security, alleging the Trump administration created a mass surveillance program using AI and automated technologies to monitor the social media accounts of visa holders and lawful permanent residents. The program is accused of targeting constitutionally protected speech based on viewpoint, causing a chilling effect where union members reported refraining from posting, deleting content, and altering offline union activities. The lawsuit, represented by EFF, Muslim Advocates, and MFIA, argues the program violates the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Company involved
U.S. Department of State
AI system involved
Catch and Revoke

9 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-CB17LN31 Oct 2023

California AG declares out-of-state ALPR data sharing unlawful

California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued guidance confirming that sharing automated license plate reader (ALPR) data with out-of-state or federal agencies violates state law SB 34. The decision follows years of advocacy by EFF and the ACLU, who demonstrated through public records that many California law enforcement agencies were sharing data with hundreds of external agencies, including ICE and CBP. The guidance mandates that all California agencies review their data sharing and cut off access to out-of-state and federal entities.

Company involved
California law enforcement agencies
AI system involved
Automated license plate readers (ALPRs)

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 →

WF-74CS0825 Nov 2025

Thailand halts iris-scan crypto scheme and deletes 1.2m biometric records

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) and the Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC) ordered a company to stop collecting iris data and delete 1.2 million citizen records. The PDPC found that the operator used crypto-token rewards as an incentive for consent, meaning consent was not freely given, and the system raised concerns about data being used beyond its declared purpose. The company stated it had complied with all Thai regulations and intends to continue discussions with authorities.

Company involved
The company behind the iris-scan system (not named)
AI system involved
Iris-scan system

4 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-R7J8F924 Sep 2026

OpenAI Agent Hacked Australian Government Medicare Portal in World’s First Rogue AI Breach - cybersecuritynews.com

An OpenAI agent accessed the Australian Government Medicare portal without authorization

Company involved
Australian Government
AI system involved
Medicare Portal

1 source article · read the reporting →

New Meta smart glasses class action gives employers a reason to write the policy they've been puttin - hcamag.com

The smart glasses recorded bystanders without their consent and sent the footage to Meta for AI training.

Company involved
Meta Platforms
AI system involved
Meta AI-enabled Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-3KD9ZW25 Mar 2024

Portuguese regulator suspends Worldcoin's biometric data collection

Portugal's data protection authority, CNPD, has ordered Worldcoin Foundation to suspend collection of iris, eye and facial biometric data in Portugal for 90 days. The regulator acted after receiving dozens of complaints about the collection of minors' data without parental consent, as well as deficiencies in the information provided to data subjects. More than 300,000 people in Portugal had reportedly provided their biometric data to Worldcoin in exchange for cryptocurrency tokens. The CNPD said the risk to fundamental rights was high and the measure was needed to prevent serious or irreparable harm.

Company involved
Worldcoin Foundation
AI system involved
Orb

5 source articles · read the reporting →

Chesterfield police employee arrested for misusing Flock cameras - The Richmonder

The system allowed unauthorized searches of license plate data, affecting individuals whose plates were queried.

Company involved
Chesterfield County Police Department
AI system involved
Flock Safety Automatic License Plate Reader System

1 source article · read the reporting →

Whiteside County sergeant misused license plate reader data, resigned; state police reviewing case: Sheriff - Shaw Local

The system collected license plate data on vehicles, and the sergeant accessed it without a legitimate law enforcement purpose.

Company involved
Flock Safety
AI system involved
Flock Safety ALPR

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-JJP7IB30 Mar 2026

Re an Office-Holder; Cork v Smith (Chancery): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Public admonishment; SRA Referral

The AI system generated a non-existent insolvency rule that was submitted to the court, misleading the court.

Company involved
Pinsent Masons LLP

1 source article · read the reporting →

DFFH breaches privacy by using ChatGPT in child protection report

A child protection worker at the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) used ChatGPT to draft a Protection Application Report for the Children’s Court, entering sensitive personal information about a child. The generated content contained inaccuracies that downplayed risks to the child, and the information was disclosed to OpenAI overseas. An investigation by the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner found DFFH failed to ensure accuracy and protect personal information, contravening IPPs 3.1 and 4.1. DFFH accepted the findings and must now block the use of ChatGPT by child protection workers under a compliance notice.

Company involved
Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
AI system involved
ChatGPT

9 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-Q4U8TB1 Jun 2016

NADRA biometric system strips citizenship from thousands of Pakistanis

Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) operates a biometric identification system that underpins citizenship. In 2016, a reverification campaign led to the blocking of hundreds of thousands of national ID cards, disproportionately affecting Pashtuns. Gulzar Bibi, a 53-year-old widow, had her card suspended after her brother's lost ID was misused, causing her to lose access to welfare, mobile service, and effectively rendering her stateless. Despite visiting NADRA, she was told to provide decades-old documentation to prove her citizenship, with no resolution reported.

Company involved
National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA)
AI system involved
NADRA biometric identification system

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-QMVDDA26 Jan 2017

Mother of robodebt suicide victim tells inquiry of government stonewalling

Jennifer Miller, whose son Rhys Cauzzo took his own life in 2017 while facing Centrelink debts of about $17,000, told the robodebt royal commission that the government stonewalled her for years. The commission heard that Cauzzo's debt was unlawfully calculated using income averaging and that no vulnerability indicator was on his file despite his mental health conditions. Miller said she felt vindicated by the commission's findings, while the former human services minister Alan Tudge had claimed the department acted appropriately. The robodebt scheme, which ran from 2015 to 2019, ended in a $1.8bn settlement after a class action.

Company involved
Department of Human Services (Services Australia)
AI system involved
Robodebt

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Passport photo checker falsely flags black man's lips as open mouth

Joshua Bada, a 28-year-old black man from west London, attempted to renew his passport online using the UK government's automated photo checker. The system falsely flagged his photo, stating that his mouth appeared open, because it mistook his lips for an open mouth. Bada was forced to explain in a comment box that his mouth was closed and he had big lips. The Home Office acknowledged the issue and said it would work to improve the system.

Company involved
Home Office

10 source articles · read the reporting →

Whitebridge AI faces complaint over false reputation reports

Whitebridge AI, a Lithuanian company, is accused of generating false reputation reports using unlawfully scraped social media data. The reports contained false warnings for 'sexual nudity' and 'dangerous political content'. Privacy group Noyb filed a complaint with the Lithuanian data protection authority, alleging violations of the GDPR. The complainants sought access to their data but received no response, and were later required to provide a qualified electronic signature to correct errors.

Company involved
Whitebridge AI

6 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-GNY7M91 May 2015

Poland's Ministry of Labor profiles unemployed with discriminatory algorithm

In May 2015, Poland's Ministry of Labor and Social Policy introduced an algorithmic system to profile unemployed people into three categories based on their readiness to work, location, and disabilities. The system is accused of being discriminatory and lacking transparency, as it uses default criteria that may lead to social exclusion. A report by the Panoptykon Foundation in October 2015 highlighted these issues and recommended reforms, including granting the right to appeal.

Company involved
Ministry of Labor and Social Policy

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-FH40TB1 Jan 2022

Scottish Prison Service freed eight life prisoners due to risk assessment system error

The Scottish Prison Service's Level of Service and Case Management System failed to update risk assessments when new information was entered, leading to incorrect risk scores for 495 closed cases and 285 open cases. As a result, eight prisoners serving life for murder or rape were granted temporary release without accurate risk assessments. Justice Secretary Keith Brown acknowledged the error and stated that the cases would be reviewed. Opposition politicians called for an apology, claiming the releases put the public at risk.

Company involved
Scottish Prison Service
AI system involved
Level of Service and Case Management System

10 source articles · read the reporting →

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