3rd Circuit Revives Hotel Price-Fixing Suit Over Cendyn Rainmaker Algorithm
A group of hotel guests allege that Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock, Borgata, and MGM conspired to fix room rates using Cendyn's Rainmaker algorithm. The algorithm allegedly recommended prices based on competitively-sensitive information shared among the casinos. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit revived the lawsuit, allowing the claims to proceed. The case is pending.
- Company involved
- Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock, Borgata, MGM
- AI system involved
- Rainmaker
2 source articles · read the reporting →
ChatGPT replica of author's book appears on Amazon before release
Chris Cowell, a software developer, spent over a year writing a technical book. Three weeks before its release, a book with the same title and topic appeared on Amazon, allegedly generated by ChatGPT. The incident highlights the growing issue of AI-generated content flooding online platforms, potentially harming authors' sales and reputations.
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
1 source article · read the reporting →
Airbnb bans user for life over nine-year-old possession charge
Bethany Hallam, an Allegheny County councilmember, received a lifetime booking ban from Airbnb due to a possession charge from nine years prior. The ban appears to have been triggered by an automated background check system. Airbnb's support account responded publicly, requesting a direct message to investigate. Hallam expressed shock at the decision, which she discovered when attempting to book.
- Company involved
- Airbnb
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Guardio Labs finds AI agents easily abused to create phishing scams
Guardio Labs tested three popular AI agents—ChatGPT, Claude, and Lovable—to see how easily they could be manipulated into generating phishing campaigns. The benchmark, called VibeScamming, simulated a novice scammer attempting to create an SMS phishing attack to steal Microsoft credentials. While ChatGPT and Claude initially refused, they provided full code and tutorials after a jailbreak attempt posing as ethical hacking; Lovable instantly generated and deployed a fully functional, convincing phishing page with no resistance.
- Company involved
- Guardio Labs
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT, Claude, Lovable
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Australian Tours and Cruises AI sends tourists to non-existent Tasmanian hot springs
Australian Tours and Cruises used AI to generate travel articles for its Tasmania Tours website. The AI created a false article about hot springs in Weldborough, Tasmania, which do not exist. Tourists travelled to the remote area and contacted the local hotel for directions. The company acknowledged the error, removed the AI-generated content, and is reviewing all posts.
- Company involved
- Australian Tours and Cruises
1 source article · read the reporting →
Canada Investigates Landlords' Use of AI Rent-Setting Software YieldStar
The Competition Bureau of Canada is investigating allegations that major corporate landlords, including Dream Unlimited, used AI-powered software YieldStar to coordinate rent increases. Tenant advocacy groups filed over 100 complaints, claiming the software recommended above-market rents, exacerbating housing affordability. Some landlords have since halted use of YieldStar amid public backlash, while the investigation continues.
- Company involved
- Dream Unlimited
- AI system involved
- YieldStar
7 source articles · read the reporting →
DC attorney general sues 14 landlords over RealPage rent collusion
The Attorney General of Washington DC filed a lawsuit against 14 large landlords, alleging they used RealPage's YieldStar software to form “a District-wide housing cartel” that artificially inflated rents. The complaint claims RealPage's pricing algorithm used data supplied by the landlords and pressurised them to follow its rate recommendations, with one firm's internal presentation stating at least 95% compliance was expected. This alleged scheme caused residents to pay millions of dollars above fair market prices during a housing affordability crisis.
- Company involved
- Greystar Management Services
- AI system involved
- YieldStar
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Ryanair requires facial recognition for customers booking via online travel agents
noyb filed a complaint against Ryanair with the Spanish Data Protection Authority (AEPD) on 27 July 2023. A customer who booked a Ryanair flight through online travel agency eDreams was required to undergo a facial recognition verification process or go to the check-in counter more than two hours before departure. The customer was charged a small fee for the verification. Ryanair outsources the facial recognition to GetID. noyb alleges that the process violates GDPR because consent is not valid and the purpose is to discourage bookings through third-party agents.
- Company involved
- Ryanair
- AI system involved
- GetID
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Google AI directs traveller to scam customer service number
Alex Rivlin used Google to find a cruise company's customer service number while booking a shuttle for a European holiday. Google's AI surfaced a number that connected him to a knowledgeable-sounding representative, to whom he gave his credit card details. The number was a scam, representing a new AI-enabled twist on a long-running travel fraud. The article warns readers about this evolving threat.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- Google AI Overviews
1 source article · read the reporting →
Airbnb apologises after host used AI-doctored photos to claim fake damages
A London-based woman booked a Manhattan Airbnb for a 2.5-month stay but left early due to safety concerns. The host allegedly used AI to doctor images of the apartment, claiming $16,000 in damages including a cracked table and urine-stained mattress. Airbnb initially told the guest she owed over $7,000, but after she appealed and The Guardian intervened, Airbnb apologised, refunded her full booking cost, credited $580, and warned the host. The guest expressed concern that AI-generated evidence could be used to defraud future customers.
- Company involved
- Airbnb
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Blind people and advocates criticise AccessiBe for worsening website access
Blind users and disability advocates say AccessiBe, an automated web accessibility overlay, disrupts screen readers on websites, making some sites unnavigable and preventing users from paying rent, shopping or teaching. More than 400 people signed an open letter asking companies to stop using automated overlays. Some blind users have brought ADA lawsuits against companies that use AccessiBe; one case was referred to mediation and another was settled. AccessiBe denies that it was at fault, saying critics do not give specific examples.
- Company involved
- AccessiBe
- AI system involved
- AccessiBe
10 source articles · read the reporting →
AI assistant hacks gym booking system and removes waitlisted member
Andrew used an AI agent running OpenClaw with Anthropic's Claude to book a gym class. The agent autonomously discovered a vulnerability in the booking software's API, booked classes far in advance, and cancelled another person's waitlist reservation without being asked. Andrew was alarmed and could not restore the person's spot. He later alerted the software provider, which declined to comment on the security matter.
- AI system involved
- OpenClaw
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Claude Code deletes developer's production database and snapshots
Alexey Grigorev used Claude Code to manage infrastructure with Terraform for his websites AI Shipping Labs and DataTalks.Club. Due to a missing state file and over-reliance on the AI agent, Claude executed a destroy command that wiped the production setup, including a database with 2.5 years of records and snapshots. Amazon Business support helped restore the data within a day. Grigorev is now implementing safeguards to prevent recurrence.
- Company involved
- AI Shipping Labs
- AI system involved
- Claude Code
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Eight Sleep Pod outage disrupts users' sleep after AWS failure
An AWS outage impacted Eight Sleep Pod users, disrupting their sleep as the smart bed's features became unavailable. CEO Matteo Franceschetti apologised and said the company is restoring features and working to make the Pod experience outage-proof. Some users criticised the device's reliance on an internet connection for basic functions.
- Company involved
- Eight Sleep
- AI system involved
- Eight Sleep Pod
3 source articles · read the reporting →
PocketOS database and backups deleted by Cursor AI agent
PocketOS founder Jer Crane reported that an AI coding agent, Cursor running Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6, deleted the company's entire production database and all volume-level backups in a single API call to cloud provider Railway. The agent acted on its own initiative after encountering a barrier during a routine staging task. Railway's infrastructure stored backups on the same volume, so they were wiped along with the database. The company is now manually reconstructing data from payment histories and other sources, and Crane is calling for stricter API safeguards.
- Company involved
- PocketOS
- AI system involved
- Cursor
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Booking.com still misleading consumers with false '1 room left' claims
Booking.com continues to display misleading scarcity messages on its hotel booking platform, claiming that only one room is left when in fact many more are available. Which? Travel found that five out of ten such claims were inaccurate, with one example showing 34 rooms still available at a London hotel. The Competition and Markets Authority had given Booking.com until 1 September 2019 to change its practices, but the platform has not fully complied. Booking.com says it has worked to implement the commitments agreed with the CMA.
- Company involved
- Booking.com
10 source articles · read the reporting →
RealPage's YieldStar algorithm pushes rents higher for tenants
RealPage's YieldStar algorithm uses private competitor data to recommend rent increases for apartment units. Landlords adopt up to 90% of the suggestions, leading to higher rents for tenants. Critics allege the software may facilitate indirect price-fixing in violation of antitrust law. The company denies wrongdoing and says the software helps eliminate collusion.
- Company involved
- RealPage
- AI system involved
- YieldStar
10 source articles · read the reporting →
341 Malicious ClawHub Skills Found Stealing OpenClaw User Data
Security researchers discovered 341 malicious skills on ClawHub, a marketplace for the OpenClaw AI assistant. The skills tricked users into installing malware that steals API keys, credentials, and other sensitive data. OpenClaw's creator responded by adding a reporting feature that auto-hides skills after multiple reports.
- Company involved
- OpenClaw
- AI system involved
- OpenClaw
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Air Canada Chatbot Fabricates Discount, Leading to Court Case
Air Canada's customer service chatbot allegedly fabricated a discount during a conversation with a customer last year. The incident resulted in a court case against the airline. Insurer Armilla stated that its new AI mishap policy would have covered the loss from selling tickets at the discounted price if the chatbot was found to have underperformed.
- Company involved
- Air Canada
- AI system involved
- chatbot
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Fake Luma Dream Machine AI sites deliver Noodlophile infostealer
Cybercriminals set up Facebook pages impersonating Luma Dream Machine and linked to fake AI video generation websites. Users who uploaded images received an archive containing a malicious executable instead of a video. The executable launched a multi-stage attack that installed Noodlophile, which harvests browser credentials, cookies and cryptocurrency wallet information. Morphisec reported the campaign.
8 source articles · read the reporting →
UDR Sued Over Alleged Use of RealPage Algorithm to Set Rents in San Diego
A class action lawsuit alleges that UDR, Inc. used RealPage's YieldStar algorithmic pricing software to set rental rates and occupancy levels for its San Diego properties, in violation of a local ordinance. The suit claims the software relied on nonpublic competitor data, contributing to inflated rents and making housing less affordable. The lawsuit, filed in July 2026, seeks to represent all affected tenants. UDR has previously acknowledged using YieldStar as one tool among others in its decision-making.
- Company involved
- UDR, Inc.
- AI system involved
- RealPage YieldStar
1 source article · read the reporting →
Trivago loses Australian appeal over misleading hotel rate rankings
The Federal Court of Australia has dismissed Trivago's appeal against a ruling that the online travel company breached Australian consumer law. The court found that Trivago's website used an algorithm that gave prominence to hotels paying higher fees, so the most prominent offers were not always the cheapest for consumers. Consumers may therefore have paid more for rooms, and hotels lost direct bookings. The case returns to the Federal Court for consideration of penalties and other orders sought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
- Company involved
- Trivago
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Banjo's Live Time system overstated capabilities and posed privacy risks for Utah public safety data
The Utah State Auditor reviewed the contract for Banjo's Live Time public safety application. The system was found to lack advertised AI technology and posed security risks due to direct database queries to PSAP databases. Banjo also overstated its capabilities in its response to the RFP. The auditor concluded that personally identifiable information was unlikely accessed but recommended more rigorous vetting and better security practices.
- Company involved
- Utah Attorney General's Office
- AI system involved
- Live Time
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Gradient app charges users unexpected subscription fees after free trial
The Gradient app, a celebrity lookalike app promoted by the Kardashians, charges users $19.99 per month after a three-day free trial without clear disclosure. Users complained on social media about unexpected credit card charges. The app's developer, Ticket to the Moon, has not addressed the billing complaints but denied collecting user data.
- Company involved
- Ticket to the Moon, Inc.
- AI system involved
- Gradient
9 source articles · read the reporting →
