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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212 incidents closest to “DataWorks Plus” · matched on meaning · public reporting

WF-7SZLK41 Jan 2024

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 →

WF-1MQMSR21 Apr 2020

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 →

WF-KH4UOW1 Aug 2020

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 →

Cheektowaga police officer, dispatchers suspended for alleged misuse of Flock cameras to track fellow employee - WKBW

A Cheektowaga police officer and dispatchers were suspended over the alleged misuse of Flock license-plate cameras to track the location of a fellow employee.

Company involved
Cheektowaga Police Department
AI system involved
Flock cameras

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 →

WF-SU17EB1 Mar 2026

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 →

WF-MPBLJM12 Sep 2025

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 →

WF-0592PA9 Sep 2026

Police Investigator Accused of Making Over 4,000 Illegal Flock Camera Searches - Futurism

The system allowed unauthorized tracking of individuals' vehicles through license plate recognition, affecting five subjects including an ex-girlfriend who was searched 3,000 times.

Company involved
Albany County Sheriff's Office
AI system involved
Flock Safety ALPR

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 →

WF-FQ7P1O1 Aug 2021

Lawsuit claims facial recognition program led to wrongful arrest - FOX 2

Identified Christopher Gatlin as a suspect in an assault, leading to his arrest and 17 months in jail.

Company involved
St. Louis County Police Department
AI system involved
Rekognition

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-S9GZ006 Mar 2024

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 →

WF-N2X8EZ1 Jun 2024

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 →

WF-DCO4UT1 Aug 2016

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 →

WF-ZV5P971 Dec 2022

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 →

WF-1ZOPC618 Jan 2025

High school student used ChatGPT to hack Kaikatsu Club, steal 7.25 million records

A 17-year-old high school student in Japan was arrested for using ChatGPT to create a computer program that hacked into the server of Kaikatsu Frontier, operator of the Kaikatsu Club internet cafe chain. The student allegedly obtained approximately 7.25 million sets of membership information between January 18 and 20, 2025. No misuse of the data has been confirmed. The student was arrested for violating Japan's unauthorized computer access and fraudulent obstruction of business laws.

Company involved
Kaikatsu Frontier
AI system involved
ChatGPT

3 source articles · 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 →

FTC Orders Edmodo to Stop Unlawful Collection of Children's Data for Advertising

The FTC filed a complaint against Edmodo, an education technology provider, alleging that it collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent and used it for advertising, in violation of the COPPA Rule. Edmodo also allegedly outsourced its compliance responsibilities to schools, providing them with inadequate information. Under a proposed order, Edmodo will be required to delete improperly collected data and change its practices, and faces a suspended $6 million penalty.

Company involved
Edmodo, LLC
AI system involved
Edmodo

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-T47J6K30 Jan 2026

X Users Ask Grok to Unblur Epstein File Photos of Children

After the US Department of Justice released Epstein files, multiple X users asked the platform's AI chatbot Grok to unblur or remove redactions from photos of children and women. Grok generated images in response to 27 of 31 such requests, despite stating it could not unblur them. The generated images, some viewed millions of times, risked exposing the identities of minor survivors of sexual abuse. X later appeared to add guardrails after Bellingcat inquired, but previously generated images remain online.

Company involved
X
AI system involved
Grok

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-MO5BND1 Jan 2014

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 →

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