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.
44 incidents closest to “Consumer Report by Plaid Check” · matched on meaning · public reporting
Data centers' electricity and water consumption raised utility bills for local residents.
1 source article · read the reporting →
The system screened out job applicants based on personality tests, video interviews, and cognitive assessments, affecting autistic, neurodivergent, and people of color.
1 source article · read the reporting →
The AI platform screened job applicants, affecting their hiring prospects.
1 source article · read the reporting →
A study by Dartmouth College researchers found that the COMPAS recidivism risk assessment algorithm, used by judges in several US states, is no more accurate than random people recruited online. The algorithm, developed by Equivalent, exhibited racial bias by classifying black defendants as higher risk and white defendants as lower risk, leading to harsher rehabilitation recommendations for black defendants. The bias likely stems from skewed arrest rate data. The findings build on a 2016 ProPublica investigation.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Checkr's system misreported criminal records belonging to someone else on Natasha Davis's consumer report, impeding her ability to gain employment.
1 source article · read the reporting →
The background check system flagged discrepancies in employment history, causing the employer to rescind a job offer to Krishan Tucker.
1 source article · read the reporting →
Mary Louis and Monica Douglas filed a class action lawsuit in 2022 alleging that SafeRent Solutions' SafeRent Score product discriminated against rental applicants in Massachusetts who held public housing vouchers, violating fair housing and consumer protection laws. SafeRent denied wrongdoing. The court approved a settlement in November 2024, and payments were distributed to eligible class members in 2025 and 2026.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Tenant screening companies assign renters a score drawn from data far wider than credit history, an industry subject to less regulation than credit scoring agencies. ProPublica reports that experts warn these algorithms can decide who gets an apartment on the basis of information applicants cannot see or correct. Kim Fuller was denied a rental application on such a score.
1 source article · read the reporting →
Flock Safety's license plate reader network allowed a former sheriff's deputy to search one woman's license plate location history 1,639 times without a warrant.
1 source article · read the reporting →
The system recorded and tracked the locations of vehicles and their owners without consent.
1 source article · read the reporting →
In late 2019, David Heinemeier Hansson alleged on Twitter that the Apple Card underwriting algorithm, operated by Goldman Sachs, gave him a higher credit limit than his wife despite similar financial profiles. The New York Department of Financial Services investigated and found no violation of fair lending laws, but critics argue the audit methodology was outdated and failed to detect proxy discrimination. Apple later updated its credit policy to allow spouses to combine credit files, acknowledging a lack of fairness in industry credit scoring.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
A PayPal user engaged the company's generative AI chatbot, which proactively claimed a recent transaction of $23.64 was declined. The user could not find any such transaction and called customer service, who confirmed the transaction never existed. The chatbot had fabricated the alert. Attempts to report the error via email failed as the address was inactive, and the user was directed back to the same chatbot.
1 source article · read the reporting →
Hello Digit, a fintech company, used an automated savings algorithm that made transfers from consumers' checking accounts, falsely guaranteeing no overdrafts. The algorithm caused customers to incur overdraft fees, and the company often denied reimbursement requests. The CFPB found that Hello Digit engaged in deceptive practices and ordered the company to pay redress to harmed consumers and a $2.7 million fine.
1 source article · read the reporting →
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.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
An investigation by SPIEGEL and BR Data reveals that Schufa's credit scoring algorithm often assigns poor risk scores to consumers with only positive credit information. One consumer, Sven Drewert, was denied a credit card limit increase despite having no negative entries. The algorithm uses limited data, and its secret formula can lead to arbitrary categorisations, affecting access to loans, phone contracts, and housing. The system's opacity and potential biases raise concerns about fairness and accountability.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
CNET published 78 AI-generated articles, including financial explainers, which contained significant inaccuracies. After Futurism alerted the outlet to errors in one article, CNET issued corrections and announced a review of all AI-assisted pieces. The outlet had claimed human editors reviewed the content, but the errors slipped through, raising concerns about the reliability of AI in journalism.
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Jessie Battaglia used Predictim, an online service that claims to use AI to assess babysitters' risk of drug abuse, bullying, or bad attitude. The service analyzes social media profiles and other online data. Experts have raised concerns about the accuracy and potential bias of the AI assessments. Predictim's CEO defended the service, saying it provides additional information for parents.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took action against General Information Services and its affiliate e-Background-checks.com for failing to ensure the accuracy of employment background screening reports. The companies allegedly provided inaccurate criminal history information to employers, potentially affecting job applicants' eligibility and causing reputational harm. The CFPB ordered the companies to provide $10.5 million in relief to harmed consumers and pay a $2.5 million penalty.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Bankrate published an AI-generated article about the best places to live in Colorado that contained multiple factual errors, including incorrect median home prices and unemployment rates. The article was removed after Futurism pointed out the mistakes. A Bankrate spokesperson blamed the errors on outdated data from an internal database, claiming the article was editor-reviewed. The incident follows a previous scandal where CNET and Bankrate paused AI content after similar errors, but the company has resumed AI article publication.
1 source article · read the reporting →
The Register tested Microsoft Recall's sensitive information filter and found it frequently fails to block credit card numbers, passwords, and other personal data. The AI-powered screenshot tool, which is enabled by default on some new PCs, could expose users to identity theft if an attacker gains access. Microsoft declined to comment but has previously acknowledged the filter is not perfect and promised improvements. Privacy advocates warn that vulnerable users, such as domestic violence victims, could be particularly at risk.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
An investigation found dozens of errors in the White House's 'Make America Healthy Again' commission report, including broken links, wrong authors, and entirely fictitious sources. The presence of 'oaicite' markers in URLs strongly suggests that ChatGPT was used to generate citations, leading to AI hallucinations. The White House described the errors as a 'formatting issue' and updated the report to correct some of them, while defending the report's substance.
3 source articles · read the reporting →
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.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Proctortrack, an online proctoring service used by universities, suffered a data breach in September 2020 when its source code was leaked online. An analysis by Consumer Reports found that the code contained hard-coded passwords and exposed the names and email addresses of over 150 students. The company acknowledged the leak but said no harm resulted. Students had been required to use the software, which performed facial recognition and recorded video during exams.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Portland Metro, an elected regional government in Oregon, ended its pilot project with movement data company Replica after a disagreement about data sharing. Portland Metro requested raw, disaggregated data, which Replica refused to provide, citing user privacy concerns. The partnership was terminated without payment.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
