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.
188 incidents closest to “FACE Plus” · matched on meaning · public reporting
A deepfake video using AI to impersonate City analyst Michael Hewson circulated on Facebook and Instagram, directing users to a WhatsApp group promising undervalued investments. The scam used fear-of-missing-out tactics to lure victims. Hewson publicly disavowed the video and reported it to Meta, expressing anger.
4 source articles · read the reporting →
A man used the facial recognition site PimEyes to identify porn actors and women from his Facebook friends by uploading their photos and finding matching images online. The system had no controls to prevent searching for others without consent. The article alleges that this invasion of privacy could lead to discrimination and harassment, and that PimEyes offered a paid service to remove photos but did not prevent the searches.
3 source articles · read the reporting →
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.
8 source articles · read the reporting →
An underground website called OnlyFake uses neural networks to generate realistic photos of fake IDs for $15. The journalist tested the service and obtained a convincing California driver's license. They then used another fake ID to successfully bypass the identity verification process on OKX, a cryptocurrency exchange. The article alleges that this technology could streamline bank fraud and money laundering, but reports no actual financial loss.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Hong Kong police arrested eight people accused of running a scam ring that used deepfake images to bypass bank verification checks and open accounts. The deepfakes were created by merging scammers' faces with those on lost identity cards using artificial intelligence. The arrests were announced on 19 April 2025.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
MakeApp, an AI-powered app that digitally removes makeup from photos, has caused controversy by adding imperfections such as redness and dullness to users' faces. Users complained on Twitter that the app exacerbates insecurities and low self-esteem. The founder defended the app as an experiment, denying any intent to shame women.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
A facial recognition system deployed by the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro in Copacabana falsely identified a local resident as a wanted fugitive. The system flagged the woman with a 70% probability match, leading police to detain her for over an hour before realising the error. The police spokesperson acknowledged the system's statistical error rate and stated that officers attempt to verify identities on site. The incident is one of several false positives reported with the system.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Fourth-grade students in Jiaxing, China, demonstrated that Hive Box's facial-recognition smart lockers could be opened with a printed photo. The company, which operates a large network of delivery lockers, acknowledged the flaw and suspended the beta feature. The incident raised concerns about the security of facial recognition technology.
1 source article · read the reporting →
Huawei's Pura 70 series includes an AI retouching feature that can inadvertently remove clothing from images. Users on Weibo posted videos demonstrating this, raising privacy concerns. Huawei customer service acknowledged the issue, attributing it to algorithm loopholes, and promised a fix in upcoming system updates.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
PimEyes, a facial recognition search engine, is accused of scraping images from the internet and processing biometric data without a valid legal basis under the GDPR. The data protection authority of Baden-Württemberg (LfDI) opened fine proceedings after it found PimEyes's response to its questions inadequate. PimEyes argues that the images it processes are publicly available and not personal data. The LfDI says the processing endangers citizens' rights and freedoms and is not covered by the GDPR exceptions.
9 source articles · read the reporting →
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.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Delhi Police used an Automated Facial Recognition System (AFRS) to screen crowds at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally on December 22, 2019. The system, originally installed to find missing children, was used to identify possible disruptions. Privacy advocates called the move illegal and unconstitutional, saying it amounts to mass surveillance. Police defended the use, citing credible intelligence about possible disruptions.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
In September 2024, a user posted an AI-manipulated video that appeared to show Brazilian footballer Ronaldo Nazário endorsing the Plinco app, but the link led to a different game. The video was viewed about 600,000 times. A user reported it to Meta as fraud, but Meta initially left it up. After the Oversight Board selected the case, Meta acknowledged the error and removed the post for violating its fraud and spam policies.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
The developer iperov has published DeepFaceLive, a neural network for real-time face swapping, on GitHub. The tool automatically replaces a user's face in live streams and video calls with a nonexistent model or a celebrity, and the installation instructions are simple. The developer claims 95% of deepfakes on YouTube were made with the related DeepFaceLab. No specific harm is reported, but the article highlights the tool's potential for misuse.
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Meta's new AI-generated sticker feature on Facebook Messenger allowed users to create inappropriate images, including child soldiers, nude politicians, and sexualised characters. The tool, powered by Meta's Llama 2 model, was found to have insufficient content filters, enabling users to bypass restrictions with typos. Meta was contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of reporting.
1 source article · read the reporting →
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.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
AI-generated deepfake videos impersonating Australian naturopath Barbara O'Neill are circulating on Facebook, falsely endorsing a cure for prostate problems and erectile dysfunction. The videos, which have millions of views, are part of a scam to sell products or phish for personal information. Africa Check found the videos to be deepfakes, with audio out of sync and posted by accounts unaffiliated with O'Neill, who has previously warned about such impersonations.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Tencent has introduced a feature called Zero-Point Cruise in its games, which subjects accounts registered as adults that play at night beyond a set time to facial recognition. Anyone who refuses or fails the verification is treated as a minor and logged out. Tencent says this is intended to stop children using adult identities to evade the game curfew, and that adults who mistakenly refuse can wait for the next authentication.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
A psychiatrist discovered that Facebook's 'People You May Know' feature was recommending her patients as friends to each other and to her, despite no apparent connection. One patient saw friend suggestions for older and infirm people he did not know, who were later recognized as the psychiatrist's patients. Another patient saw a fellow patient from the office elevator, revealing their full name and profile. Facebook could not explain the specific cause but suggested phone contact syncing may have been responsible.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
A man in Jiangsu, China, illegally purchased 1.95 million personal records and used AI face-swapping software to bypass facial recognition on financial platforms. He accessed 23 victims' accounts, changed five passwords, and used one account to buy two phones worth 15,996 yuan. He was convicted of infringing citizens' personal information and credit card fraud, sentenced to four years and six months in prison, and ordered to pay damages and delete the data.
3 source articles · read the reporting →
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.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
An AI-generated deepfake video manipulated a CBS News Texas anchor's image and created a fake video of the suspect in a Frisco high school stabbing. The video was posted on Instagram and reposted on multiple accounts before being taken down. The incident highlights the growing ease of creating convincing deepfakes and the spread of misinformation online.
1 source article · read the reporting →
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.
1 source article · read the reporting →
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.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
