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 “Palantir Gotham” · matched on meaning · public reporting

WF-A6M7XJ13 Sep 2025

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 →

WF-21HO9521 Aug 2025

X's Grok exposed hundreds of thousands of user chats in Google

Hundreds of thousands of conversations with Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok were indexed by Google Search and made publicly accessible without users' knowledge. The exposure occurred when users pressed a share button that created unique links, but those links were also searchable online. The BBC reported the incident after Forbes initially identified more than 370,000 exposed chats. Experts described the leak as a privacy disaster, and X has not publicly responded.

Company involved
X
AI system involved
Grok

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-YHUBUO1 Dec 2024

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 →

WF-VU4SMY2 Oct 2025

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 →

WF-DLNNBB1 Jan 2015

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 →

Orléans court rules AI-powered audio surveillance illegal

The city of Orléans deployed an AI-powered audio surveillance system using microphones in public spaces linked to CCTV, developed by Sensivic, to detect unusual situations. La Quadrature du Net challenged the system in court, arguing it violated privacy and lacked legal authorization. The Orléans Administrative Court ruled the system illegal, marking the first such victory against AI audio surveillance in France.

Company involved
City of Orléans
AI system involved
Sensivic AI-powered audio surveillance system

8 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-G9J5NB13 Jul 2024

Grok AI posted false news headlines after Trump assassination attempt

Grok, Elon Musk's AI model on X, posted incorrect headlines following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. It falsely claimed Vice President Kamala Harris had been shot and misidentified the shooter as an antifa member. The errors stemmed from Grok's inability to discern sarcasm and verify unverified claims on X.

Company involved
X Corp
AI system involved
Grok

5 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 →

WF-A2SW1816 Aug 2024

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 →

WF-PQKZOM1 Jan 2016

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 →

WF-Q8FS1926 Oct 2025

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 →

WF-IJU2642 Mar 2026

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 →

WF-MJJJVQ1 Jan 2023

Durham's ShotSpotter fails to detect two deadly shootings

ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system piloted by the Durham Police Department, failed to detect two fatal shootings in February 2023, as well as a New Year's Day shooting that injured five. The system, which uses sensors and human review to alert police, did not send alerts for these incidents within its three-square-mile coverage area. The company stated it investigated and provided a report to the police, while a city official defended the pilot, noting it is still early in the year-long trial. Community concerns have been raised about increased police presence and potential racial profiling.

Company involved
Durham Police Department
AI system involved
ShotSpotter

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-H3NHGW1 Jan 2020

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 →

School AI surveillance like Gaggle can lead to false alarms, arrests

AI surveillance tools used in schools, such as Gaggle, GoGuardian and Bark, are reported to generate false alarms that have led to student arrests. The article examines cases where automated monitoring flagged innocent behaviour as threats, causing harm to students and families.

2 source articles · 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 →

Italian DPA fines Municipality of Trento over AI surveillance projects

The Italian data protection authority (Garante) fined the Municipality of Trento €50,000 for two research projects, Marvel and Protector, that used AI to analyze video, audio, and social media data for public security purposes. The projects involved automated detection of risk events from surveillance cameras and microphones in public spaces, as well as monitoring social media for hate speech. The Garante found multiple violations of privacy law, including lack of a valid legal basis, insufficient anonymization, failure to conduct a data protection impact assessment, and inadequate transparency. The municipality is required to delete the unlawfully processed data.

Company involved
Comune di Trento
AI system involved
Marvel and Protector

9 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-R41UQV23 Feb 2012

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 →

WF-30XEUN1 Jul 2019

Google contractors targeted homeless people for Pixel 4 facial recognition data

Google hired Randstad to collect facial data to train the Pixel 4's face recognition system. Contractors allegedly targeted homeless people and unaware students, using deceptive tactics such as calling it a "selfie game" and offering $5 without informing subjects they were being recorded. Google suspended the research program and opened an investigation following the report.

Company involved
Google
AI system involved
Pixel 4 facial recognition

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-8KNOOI1 Mar 2024

Accusations of AI use in DC Comics artwork by artists Andrea Sorrentino and Jingxiong Guo

DC Comics is facing accusations that artists used AI to generate artwork for recent Batman issues and covers. Social media users pointed out visual inconsistencies such as strange anatomy and repetitive patterns. Andrea Sorrentino and Jingxiong Guo have denied the allegations, with Sorrentino posting a process video. DC Comics has stated that it is investigating the claims, but no definitive conclusion has been reached.

Company involved
DC Comics

6 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 →

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