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 →
Pasco Sheriff's Office used algorithm to target potential future criminals and schoolchildren
The Pasco Sheriff's Office operates an intelligence-led policing programme that uses an algorithm to identify people who might break the law based on criminal histories and social networks. Deputies are sent to the homes of those flagged, even without evidence of a crime, and former deputies allege they were ordered to make targets' lives miserable. The agency also keeps a list of more than 400 schoolchildren predicted to 'fall into a life of crime', built from data such as grades and child welfare records, without informing the children or their parents. Civil liberties groups are considering lawsuits and public advocacy campaigns, and experts have called the programmes 'morally repugnant'.
- Company involved
- Pasco Sheriff's Office
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Duke University MTMC Dataset Used in Authoritarian Surveillance Research
Duke University created and openly distributed the Duke MTMC dataset, containing surveillance footage of approximately 2,000 students and visitors on campus. The dataset was used by numerous organisations, including Chinese military-linked companies like SenseTime and Hikvision, for developing person re-identification and facial recognition technologies. Following an investigation by exposing.ai and the Financial Times, Duke University terminated the dataset in May 2019. The incident highlights the privacy risks of academic datasets being repurposed for mass surveillance without consent.
- Company involved
- Duke University
- AI system involved
- Duke MTMC
1 source article · read the reporting →
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 →
Users jailbreak Luma Labs Dream Machine to generate porn
Users have jailbroken Luma Labs' Dream Machine, an AI video generator, to create explicit videos. The system's safeguards were bypassed to generate pornographic content. The videos are crude but demonstrate the potential for widespread AI-generated porn. Luma Labs' terms of service prohibit such content.
- Company involved
- Luma Labs
- AI system involved
- Dream Machine
3 source articles · read the reporting →
West Midlands Police test NDAS system to assess crime risk
West Midlands Police are testing a system called the National Data Analytics Solution (NDAS) that analyses police data to assess the risk of individuals committing a crime or becoming a victim. The Home Office has funded the project with millions of pounds, intending to roll it out across England and Wales. Critics warn that the system could reinforce bias against minorities and undermine the presumption of innocence. The police say the technology is designed to support, not replace, officer decision-making and that it is still in early testing.
- Company involved
- West Midlands Police
- AI system involved
- National Data Analytics Solution
1 source article · read the reporting →
Brainwash cafe customers unknowingly put in AI surveillance dataset
In 2014, customers at the Brainwash Cafe in San Francisco were recorded by a publicly available webcam. The images were compiled into a dataset containing 11,917 photos for training surveillance-related object and head detection algorithms. The dataset was later removed from access following an investigation revealing use by researchers affiliated with the National University of Defense Technology in China. The dataset's creators are accused of collecting the images without the cafe customers' knowledge or consent.
- Company involved
- Stanford University
- AI system involved
- Brainwash dataset
1 source article · read the reporting →
Ex-Pikesville athletic director used AI deepfake to impersonate principal
Dazhon Darien, former athletic director at Pikesville High School, used artificial intelligence to create a deepfake audio clip in 2024 that made it appear as though principal Eric Eiswert made racist and antisemitic comments. The clip spread widely online, severely damaging Eiswert's reputation. Darien was arrested and later pleaded guilty to unrelated child sex crimes. Eiswert sued Baltimore County Public Schools and reached a settlement.
- Company involved
- Baltimore County Public Schools
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Dahua Exposed for Uyghur Tracking Software in Surveillance Systems
Dahua Technology's publicly available SDK was found to contain code for detecting Uyghur ethnicity, enabling Chinese police to covertly track the persecuted minority. The revelation led to widespread criticism, and Dahua removed the SDK after being contacted by IPVM but did not comment. The company had previously been sanctioned by the US for complicity in human rights abuses against Uyghurs, and its software is part of a massive surveillance apparatus in Xinjiang.
- Company involved
- Dahua Technology
- AI system involved
- Dahua SDK
1 source article · read the reporting →
Google Cloud Used in CBP AI Virtual Border Wall Contract
The Intercept reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection accepted a proposal to use Google Cloud artificial intelligence for its Innovation Team, including work with Anduril Industries' surveillance towers. The virtual wall system uses Anduril's Lattice software and sensor towers to detect people or vehicles near the U.S.-Mexico border and relay their locations to agents. Google declined to comment, and CBP and Anduril did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- AI system involved
- Google Cloud AI Platform with Anduril Lattice and Sentry Towers
1 source article · read the reporting →
Delhi Government uses facial recognition on children in government schools
The Delhi Government's Education Department is using facial recognition technology in conjunction with CCTV cameras in government schools, according to responses to RTI requests filed by the Internet Freedom Foundation. The organisation urged the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights to intervene, alleging that the practice violates children's right to privacy and education under the Indian Constitution. No specific incident of harm has been reported, but the organisation warns of potential misidentification and disproportionate penalties.
- Company involved
- Government of NCT of Delhi, Education Department
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Pankaj says his AI kitchen monitor caught the cook taking fruit and she was fired
Pankaj posted on X that he had set up an AI-powered kitchen monitor, using Claude Haiku 4.5 as its vision model, to watch his cook while she worked. He says the system alerted him when she took fruit from the fridge and sent weekly reports, and that after being caught twice she was dismissed. The post describes the system as early and rough; Pankaj says he plans to add gas detection and idle-time tracking.
- Company involved
- Pankaj
- AI system involved
- AI roommate
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Volusia County Schools' Gaggle AI flags threat, leading to student's arrest
A 15-year-old student at Deltona High School wrote a threat on his school laptop, which was flagged by the Gaggle monitoring system. The alert notified a school resource deputy, who detained the student before he could leave. The teen admitted to the threat, saying he was angry about being bullied, and was arrested on a second-degree felony charge.
- Company involved
- Volusia County Schools
- AI system involved
- Gaggle
1 source article · read the reporting →
DOJ, Pinnacle reach settlement in RealPage case - Yahoo Finance
The system recommended rent prices to landlords, affecting renters' housing costs.
- Company involved
- Pinnacle Property Management Services
- AI system involved
- RealPage
1 source article · read the reporting →
Oakland County investigating alleged misuse of Flock camera data by former deputy - WXYZ 7 News Detroit
The Flock camera system collected and stored license plate data, and a former deputy allegedly accessed it without authorization.
- Company involved
- Oakland County Sheriff's Office
- AI system involved
- Flock camera
1 source article · read the reporting →
Spanish data regulator orders Worldcoin to stop processing biometric data in Spain
The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has ordered a precautionary measure against Tools for Humanity Corporation, the company behind Worldcoin, to cease collection and processing of personal data in Spain. The AEPD received complaints alleging insufficient information, collection of data from minors, and inability to withdraw consent. The regulator acted under GDPR Article 66.1 to prevent potentially irreparable harm to individuals' data protection rights.
- Company involved
- Tools for Humanity Corporation
- AI system involved
- Worldcoin
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Brazilian children's photos scraped into LAION-5B AI dataset without consent
Human Rights Watch found that LAION-5B, a dataset used to train AI tools, contains identifiable photos of Brazilian children scraped from the web without their knowledge or consent. The dataset includes names and locations of children. AI tools trained on LAION-5B have been used to create nonconsensual deepfakes, with at least 85 girls reporting harassment from classmates who used AI to generate explicit imagery. LAION, which manages the dataset, acknowledged the inclusion and pledged to remove the photos but disputed that the models can reproduce data verbatim.
- Company involved
- LAION
- AI system involved
- LAION-5B
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Australian children's photos scraped into LAION-5B AI dataset without consent
Human Rights Watch found that the LAION-5B dataset, used to train AI tools, contains links to identifiable photos of Australian children scraped from the web without consent. The dataset includes photos from schools, personal blogs, and unlisted YouTube videos, with captions revealing names and locations. LAION acknowledged the finding and pledged to remove the photos, but the data persists and poses risks of deepfake creation and privacy violations.
- Company involved
- LAION
- AI system involved
- LAION-5B
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Allegheny County child neglect screening algorithm shows racial disparities
The Allegheny Family Screening Tool, an algorithm used to screen child neglect reports, has been found to flag a disproportionate number of Black children for mandatory investigation compared to white children. A technical glitch also presented wrong risk scores for over two years. County officials say social workers can override the algorithm and that the glitch has been fixed, but critics argue the tool hardens racial disparities and lacks transparency.
- Company involved
- Allegheny County Department of Human Services
- AI system involved
- Allegheny Family Screening Tool
10 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 →
Cybercheck AI tool challenged in Akron homicide cases
Law enforcement in Akron, Ohio, used the AI tool Cybercheck to place two defendants at a murder scene. Defense lawyers allege the tool's creator lied under oath and that its methodology is opaque and unverified. Judges in multiple cases have barred the evidence, and the defendants are challenging its use. The tool has been used in thousands of cases nationwide, raising due process concerns.
- Company involved
- Akron Police Department
- AI system involved
- Cybercheck
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Former Emerson officer accused of misusing Flock camera system - wrganews.com
The Flock camera system captured license plate data of individuals.
- Company involved
- Acworth Police Department
- AI system involved
- Flock Safety System
1 source article · read the reporting →
DHS plans to collect migrant children's face biometrics for facial recognition training
MIT Technology Review has reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to collect and analyse facial images of migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border to train facial recognition technology. The scheme, run through the Office of Biometric Identity Management's craniofacial structural progression program, would use children's face prints to improve recognition of people as they age. Civil rights groups have raised concerns about consent and privacy, and DHS has responded that its technologies are operated within the law.
- Company involved
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- AI system involved
- OBIM craniofacial structural progression program
5 source articles · 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 →
