Sainsbury's ejects man misidentified by facial recognition software
Warren Rajah was told to leave a Sainsbury's supermarket in Elephant and Castle, London, after staff incorrectly identified him as an offender flagged by Facewatch facial recognition software. The error occurred at the human verification stage, not the technology itself. Sainsbury's apologised and offered a £75 shopping voucher, and Facewatch confirmed Rajah was not on its database. Rajah criticised the lack of explanation and recourse, and expressed concern for vulnerable customers.
- Company involved
- Sainsbury's
- AI system involved
- Facewatch
5 source articles · read the reporting →
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 →
$30M Equifax hard inquiry dispute class action settlement - Top Class Actions
A class action, settled for $30 million, alleged that Equifax automatically rejected consumers' disputes of hard inquiries on their credit reports, sending a form letter instead of investigating.
- Company involved
- Equifax Information Services LLC
1 source article · read the reporting →
Mr Craig Hadley wrongly accused of fraud at Sports Direct shop using Facewatch facial recognition.
Mr Craig Hadley was wrongly accused of being a fraudster at a Rotherham Sports Direct shop using facial recognition technology supplied by Facewatch. The system flagged him as a known fraudster, but the alert was later attributed to human error. Big Brother Watch, a privacy campaign group, has raised concerns about the lack of due process in such systems.
- Company involved
- Sports Direct
- AI system involved
- Facewatch
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Airbnb bans users in Australia using trustworthiness algorithm
Airbnb is accused of using an algorithm acquired from Trooly to score users' trustworthiness based on publicly available data, including social media and occupation. Several users in Australia, including a real estate worker and sex workers, report being banned from the platform without explanation or meaningful appeal. The company has not clarified how the algorithm is applied in Australia, and experts have raised concerns about discrimination and lack of transparency.
- Company involved
- Airbnb
- AI system involved
- Trooly
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Capital Standard, LLC v. U.S. Bank National Association (CA Florida (2d)): AI-hallucinated content in court filing, Monetary Sanction; Adverse Costs…
The AI generated false legal citations that were included in a court filing, misleading the court.
1 source article · read the reporting →
Indore Play School Owner Loses Savings in AI Voice Cloning Fraud
A middle-aged woman in Indore, India, lost her entire savings of Rs 97,500 after a fraudster used AI voice cloning to impersonate her cousin, a police officer. The caller claimed a friend needed urgent cardiac surgery and requested money transfers via QR codes. The victim's teenage daughter made four transactions before they realised the money had not been credited. Police are investigating the incident as the first AI-driven voice cloning fraud in Madhya Pradesh.
3 source articles · read the reporting →
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 →
FTC charges Ring with illegal surveillance and security failures
The Federal Trade Commission charged Ring, a home security camera company, with compromising customer privacy by allowing employees to access private videos and failing to prevent hackers from taking control of cameras. Hackers accessed approximately 55,000 U.S. customers' accounts, harassing individuals including children and the elderly. The proposed order requires Ring to pay $5.8 million in refunds and implement security measures.
- Company involved
- Ring LLC
- AI system involved
- Ring cameras
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Ningbo fines property developers for using facial recognition without consent
In Ningbo, China, property developers were fined for using facial recognition technology to identify customers without their consent. The enforcement followed China's annual Consumer Protection Gala that highlighted misuse of facial recognition. The fines were imposed by the local government and the developers were accused of violating privacy regulations.
- Company involved
- Multiple property developers in Ningbo
- AI system involved
- Facial recognition technology
6 source articles · read the reporting →
FTC orders WW International and Kurbo to delete children's data and pay $1.5m penalty
The US Federal Trade Commission alleged that WW International, formerly Weight Watchers, and its subsidiary Kurbo illegally collected personal and health data from children under 13 through the Kurbo by WW weight-loss app without parental consent. The complaint said the signup process encouraged children to lie about their age and that the companies retained the data indefinitely. The companies settled, agreeing to delete the data, destroy any algorithms derived from it, and pay a $1.5 million penalty.
- Company involved
- WW International, Inc. (formerly Weight Watchers) and Kurbo, Inc.
- AI system involved
- Kurbo by WW
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 →
WeChat Pay Facial Recognition Bypassed by Scammers Using Animated GIFs
In July 2020, a woman in Hubei, China, reported that 20,000 yuan ($3,000) was stolen from her WeChat Pay account. Scammers had tricked her 8-year-old son into revealing her password, then used animated GIFs of her face to bypass the facial recognition security. Police arrested three suspects, and the case remains under investigation. The incident highlights vulnerabilities in facial recognition systems that can be fooled by simple animated images.
- Company involved
- WeChat
- AI system involved
- WeChat Pay facial recognition
1 source article · read the reporting →
Pensioner loses $224k to AI deepfake cryptocurrency scam featuring Prime Minister Luxon
A 72-year-old Taranaki grandmother lost $224,000 after being tricked by an AI-generated deepfake video of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon promoting cryptocurrency investment. The scammers used remote access software to transfer her savings and inheritance. TSB declined liability, stating the victim enabled the scam by granting remote access. Police are investigating.
- Company involved
- TSB
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Inflection background check errors lead to lawsuits from banned Airbnb users
Inflection, a background check company used by Airbnb, Uber, and other platforms, has been sued multiple times for providing inaccurate reports. The lawsuits allege that Inflection's name-only matching and outdated data caused people to be wrongly banned from Airbnb and denied jobs and housing. Some cases have been settled, while others remain ongoing. The company is accused of violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
- Company involved
- Inflection
- AI system involved
- Inflection background check
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Tenant screening software denies housing to disabled Latino man in Connecticut
In 2016, Carmen Arroyo requested to move her disabled son Mikhail into a larger apartment in the same complex. The landlord, WinnResidential, used CoreLogic's CrimSafe tenant screening software, which flagged a dropped retail theft charge against Mikhail as disqualifying. The landlord rejected the application without explanation. Arroyo sued CoreLogic and WinnResidential under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Fair Housing Act, alleging that the software disproportionately excludes people of colour. The case was scheduled for trial in August 2021.
- Company involved
- WinnResidential
- AI system involved
- CrimSafe
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Agricultural Bank of China apologises after 94-year-old lifted for facial recognition
A 94-year-old woman with limited mobility was lifted by relatives to complete facial recognition while activating her social security card at an Agricultural Bank of China branch in Guangshui, Hubei. A video of the incident circulated online and sparked criticism. The bank issued a statement apologising and saying the episode showed that its service awareness and publicity were inadequate.
- Company involved
- Agricultural Bank of China Guangshui Sub-branch
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Midjourney v6 accused of generating near-identical copyrighted images
Midjourney's v6 image generator has been criticized for producing images that closely resemble copyrighted movie scenes, such as a Joaquin Phoenix Joker scene. Artist Reid Southen accused the company of using copyrighted content without a license and said his account was banned. Midjourney has updated its terms of service to hold users responsible for intentional copyright infringement. The company faces multiple lawsuits over training data.
- Company involved
- Midjourney
- AI system involved
- Midjourney v6
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Washington Post uses algorithm to set subscription prices based on personal data
The Washington Post is accused of using an algorithm to set subscription prices based on subscribers' personal data. Some subscribers received emails stating that their new price was determined by an algorithm using their personal data. The practice, known as surveillance pricing, has drawn criticism from Democratic lawmakers who have proposed legislation to ban it.
- Company involved
- Washington Post
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Chester man wrongly accused of theft by Home Bargains face scan
Ian Clayton, 67, was wrongly accused of being a thief at a Home Bargains store in Chester after the store's facial recognition system, operated by Facewatch, flagged him as a shoplifter. The system incorrectly linked him to a theft he had no involvement in. Store staff asked him to leave in front of other customers, causing him emotional distress. Clayton contacted Facewatch, which removed his image and record after a review.
- Company involved
- Home Bargains
- AI system involved
- Facewatch
2 source articles · read the reporting →
U.S. Federal Court Allows CIPA Class Action Against AI Customer Service Provider to Proceed - Wilson Sonsini
The AI system intercepted and recorded a customer's phone call and collected her personal and financial information without consent.
- Company involved
- ConverseNow Technologies, Inc.
1 source article · read the reporting →
Meta's AI Chatbot Handed Hackers Your Instagram Password. Here's What to Do - All About Cookies
The AI chatbot disclosed Instagram passwords to hackers.
- Company involved
- Meta
- AI system involved
- Meta AI Chatbot
1 source article · read the reporting →
Patagonia Targeted by Privacy Class Action for Use of Customer Service AI Software - Law.com
The system intercepted, recorded, and mined data from customer service calls, affecting customers' privacy.
- Company involved
- Patagonia
- AI system involved
- Talkdesk
1 source article · read the reporting →
