Uber Eats courier sues over alleged racially biased facial recognition dismissal
Pa Edrissa Manjang, a UK Uber Eats courier, is suing the company for allegedly dismissing him based on racially biased facial recognition software. He claims that the Real-Time ID Check system produced continued mismatches, leading to his account deactivation in April 2021, and that he was targeted for excessive checks amounting to racial harassment. Uber Eats denies that automated facial verification was the reason, stating that the system includes robust human review. An east London employment tribunal has refused to strike out the discrimination claim, and Manjang was reportedly reinstated after filing the case.
- Company involved
- Uber Eats
- AI system involved
- Real-Time ID Check
2 source articles · read the reporting →
AI chatbots used to steal US college financial aid
Crime rings are deploying AI chatbots as 'ghost students' to enrol in online college courses and fraudulently collect US federal financial aid. Victims of identity theft, such as Heather Brady and Brittnee Nelson, discovered loans of over $9,000 and $5,000 respectively taken out in their names for colleges they never attended. The US Education Department introduced a temporary rule requiring government-issued ID for first-time aid applicants, while California community colleges reported losing at least $11.1 million to such scams.
- Company involved
- Delgado Community College
4 source articles · read the reporting →
South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal Considers Sassa Algorithm Case
Верховный апелляционный суд ЮАР рассмотрел дело об алгоритмах Sassa - UA.NEWS
The Supreme Court of Appeal heard an appeal on 25 August about Sassa's digital application system for the SRD grant. The system only accepts online applications and uses automated bank account checks that may deny grants to people whose accounts receive deposits that are not regular income. The Global Center on AI Governance submitted that automated decisions must uphold constitutional rights and be fair, non-discriminatory, and suited to South Africa's informal economy.
- Company involved
- South African Social Security Agency (Sassa)
- AI system involved
- Sassa digital application system
1 source article · read the reporting →
UberEats Sued for Fraud Over Stacked Orders and Halved Hours Allegedly Shorting Pay
疊單、工時砍半涉短付報酬！UberEats挨告詐欺 - TVBS新聞網
A new law effective July 21 sets minimum pay per delivery order. Unions accuse UberEats of underpaying workers by misinterpreting these rules, and they filed a fraud complaint with prosecutors. They say the platform's actions caused financial losses for delivery workers.
- Company involved
- Uber Eats
1 source article · read the reporting →
Foodstuffs facial recognition trial misidentifies Māori mother as trespassed offender
Te Ani Solomon, a Māori mother, was shopping at New World Westend in Rotorua on her birthday when staff confronted her, claiming she was trespassed based on a facial recognition alert. The system had falsely matched her to an image of a trespassed offender. Despite providing identification, she was told to leave, causing her distress and feelings of racial discrimination. Foodstuffs acknowledged the incident as a 'genuine case of human error' and said it would apologise and provide further training. The Privacy Commissioner is monitoring the trial and has launched an inquiry into its compliance with the Privacy Act.
- Company involved
- Foodstuffs North Island
1 source article · read the reporting →
Rotterdam's Welfare Fraud Algorithm Discriminated by Gender and Ethnicity
The city of Rotterdam deployed a machine learning algorithm built by Accenture to flag welfare recipients for fraud investigation. The system used personal data including gender, language, and subjective caseworker notes to generate risk scores, leading to investigations that disproportionately targeted women and migrants. An external review found the algorithm discriminatory and inaccurate, prompting the city to suspend its use in 2021. The system's opacity made it nearly impossible for those flagged to challenge the decisions.
- Company involved
- City of Rotterdam
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Real Women in Trucking files EEOC complaint against Meta over discriminatory ad delivery
Real Women in Trucking, an advocacy group for female truck drivers, filed a complaint with the EEOC alleging that Meta's Facebook ad system discriminates by steering job ads for lucrative positions away from women and older workers. The complaint claims the algorithm targets ads based on the type of role, resulting in biased delivery. Meta has not publicly responded to the allegations. The EEOC complaint is pending.
- Company involved
- Meta
- AI system involved
- Facebook ad system
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Portland Water Bureau AI pilot offers discount to billionaire CEO
The Portland Water Bureau used a machine learning system in a randomised control trial to identify customers for its financial assistance programme. The system selected Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle, a billionaire and one of the city's largest residential water consumers, for a 40% water bill discount. Boyle declined the discount, stating it should go to someone who needs it. The bureau is testing whether the SERVUS algorithm can accurately identify customers' ability to pay.
- Company involved
- Portland Water Bureau
- AI system involved
- Smart Discount Program
1 source article · read the reporting →
Universities' use of race in student risk algorithms harms Black and Latinx students
The Markup found that several universities, including UMass Amherst, UW–Milwaukee, and Texas A&M, use EAB's Navigate software which incorporates race as a predictor of student dropout risk. The algorithms label Black and Latinx students as high risk at disproportionately high rates compared to White students. Students, professors, and experts worry this is pushing minority students out of math and science majors through biased advising.
- Company involved
- University of Massachusetts Amherst,University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee,Texas A&M University,Texas Tech University,South Dakota State University
- AI system involved
- Navigate
1 source article · read the reporting →
Jordan's National Aid Fund Algorithm Denies Cash Assistance to Vulnerable Households
Human Rights Watch reported that Jordan’s Takaful cash transfer programme, run by the National Aid Fund and financed by the World Bank, uses an algorithm to rank households by estimated economic vulnerability and select recipients. The report found that the algorithm relies on inaccurate self-reported income and questionable indicators such as car ownership and utility use, causing eligible poor families to be denied benefits or receive reduced payments. The World Bank and NAF defended the programme and its targeting approach.
- Company involved
- National Aid Fund (NAF)
- AI system involved
- Takaful (Unified Cash Transfer Program)
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Idaho Medicaid used secret formula to cut assistance for disabled adults
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare used a secret formula to drastically cut Medicaid assistance for adults with developmental disabilities, claiming the formula was a trade secret. The ACLU of Idaho filed a class action lawsuit, K.W. v. Armstrong, in 2012, alleging the cuts violated due process. A federal court struck down the formula in 2016 and ordered a new system, but as of 2024, a fair system has not yet been implemented.
- Company involved
- Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Rite Aid Settles FTC Allegations Over Facial Recognition Use in Stores
Rite Aid used facial recognition technology in hundreds of stores to identify patrons it deemed likely to engage in shoplifting. The FTC alleged that the company failed to implement reasonable safeguards, leading to false matches and disproportionate harm to consumers based on race and gender. Rite Aid agreed to a settlement that bans its use of facial recognition for five years and requires deletion of collected data. The settlement is subject to public comment and bankruptcy court approval.
- Company involved
- Rite Aid
10 source articles · read the reporting →
France: CNAF's discriminatory risk-scoring algorithm must be stopped
Amnesty International and coalition partners filed a complaint with the Council of State against CNAF's risk-scoring algorithm used to detect benefit overpayments. The algorithm assigns risk scores based on criteria that discriminate against vulnerable groups, including those with disabilities, single parents, and low-income households. The complaint alleges the system violates human rights to equality and privacy. The EU AI Act's social scoring ban may apply, but its definition remains unclear.
- Company involved
- CNAF
2 source articles · read the reporting →
U.S. Border Patrol uses AI and ALPR to target drivers for pretext stops and asset seizures
The U.S. Border Patrol has built a nationwide dragnet driver-surveillance system using automated license plate readers and AI to flag suspicious travel patterns. Local police then pull over targeted drivers on pretexts, interrogate them, and seize cash and vehicles through civil asset forfeiture. The program has been kept secret, with details hidden from court documents and the public. The ACLU report highlights the abuse of innocent drivers and calls for congressional action.
- Company involved
- U.S. Border Patrol (CBP)
- AI system involved
- Automated license plate reader (ALPR) system with AI analytics
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Walmart employees claim Everseen anti-theft AI is flawed
A group of Walmart employees, calling themselves the Concerned Home Office Associates, alleged that the Everseen AI system used in thousands of stores to prevent shoplifting frequently produces false positives, flagging innocent customer behaviour as theft. They created a video showing the system failing to stop actual theft and mistakenly alerting for a phone. Employees said the false positives frustrate customers and lead to unnecessary interventions, raising public health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Walmart denied a widespread issue but said it had made improvements.
- Company involved
- Walmart
- AI system involved
- Everseen
9 source articles · read the reporting →
EEOC sues iTutorGroup for automated rejection of older tutor applicants
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleges that tutoring provider iTutorGroup programmed its recruitment software automatically to reject female applicants aged 55 or older and male applicants aged 60 or older. More than 200 qualified US-based applicants were denied work in 2020. The EEOC has filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York seeking back pay and damages.
- Company involved
- iTutorGroup
10 source articles · read the reporting →
UberEats algorithm change causes pay cuts and financial hardship for car drivers
A survey by the Transport Workers' Union found that UberEats car drivers experienced a 50% pay cut after the company changed its delivery allocation algorithm to preference cyclists and scooter riders. Drivers reported bankruptcy, homelessness, and inability to support their families. The TWU has called for regulation of the gig economy and delivered a letter to the NSW shadow minister.
- Company involved
- UberEats
- AI system involved
- UberEats platform
10 source articles · read the reporting →
DWP's Universal Credit algorithm causes underpayment and hardship for claimants
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uses an automated means-testing algorithm in its Universal Credit system that miscalculates earnings due to a design flaw, leading to underpayments and fluctuating benefit amounts. Claimants such as Janet R. received payments hundreds of pounds short, forcing them into debt and foodbank use. A Court of Appeal ruling in June 2020 ordered the DWP to fix the flaw, but the department had not yet fully implemented the remedy at the time of writing.
- Company involved
- Department for Work and Pensions
- AI system involved
- Universal Credit
10 source articles · read the reporting →
LA's VI-SPDAT housing scoring system gives lower priority to Black and Latino people
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority uses the VI-SPDAT scoring system to prioritise unhoused people for subsidised permanent housing. An investigation by The Markup found that Black and Latino people consistently receive lower vulnerability scores than White people, leading to lower priority for housing. The agency has acknowledged the racial disparities and is working on a new tool, but continues to use the current system.
- Company involved
- Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
- AI system involved
- VI-SPDAT
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Serbia's Social Card law could harm marginalized groups
Serbia's Social Card law, which entered into force on 1 March 2022, establishes a centralized government database to assess eligibility for social security support. Amnesty International and seven other rights organizations submitted a legal opinion to the Constitutional Court, alleging that the automated system is an intrusive surveillance system that could discriminate against Roma communities and people with disabilities. The system processes 130 categories of personal data and lacks transparency, potentially leading to errors and denial of benefits.
- Company involved
- Serbian government
- AI system involved
- Social Card system
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Jacobs files BIPA class action against Walgreen Company over fingerprint scanning
A class action lawsuit alleges that Walgreen Company (Walgreens) collected and stored employees' fingerprint data without obtaining informed consent, in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The plaintiff, Jacobs, claims the company used fingerprint scanners for employee timekeeping without providing required disclosures or obtaining written consent. The case is pending in Illinois state court.
- Company involved
- Walgreen Company
- AI system involved
- Fingerprint time clock
7 source articles · read the reporting →
USPS algorithm RRECS causes pay cuts for two-thirds of rural mail carriers
The United States Postal Service (USPS) implemented a new algorithm, RRECS, to evaluate rural carrier routes and determine pay. Due to flaws in how carriers scanned packages, the algorithm underestimated route times, resulting in pay cuts for 66 per cent of rural carriers, some losing thousands of dollars annually. Carriers report that they were not adequately trained on the system and that the cuts are scheduled to take effect, though they have been postponed multiple times. The USPS stated that the system is the result of a nationally negotiated agreement.
- Company involved
- United States Postal Service
- AI system involved
- RRECS
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Denmark's Udbetaling Danmark welfare algorithm illegally surveilled millions
Udbetaling Danmark (UDK), Denmark's centralized welfare payment agency, used automated algorithms to check eligibility and detect fraud. The system collected personal data on millions of beneficiaries and their relatives, including non-beneficiaries, in what a think-tank called 'systematic surveillance'. A complaint to the Danish Data Protection Authority led to a ruling that the data collection violated GDPR, and UDK eventually deleted the illegally obtained data. The system also caused erroneous payments, including underpaying 300,000 pensioners by 94 million euros annually.
- Company involved
- Udbetaling Danmark
10 source articles · read the reporting →
EPIC lawsuit challenges USPS secret surveillance program using facial recognition
The United States Postal Service's law enforcement wing, the Postal Inspection Service, ran a secret surveillance program called the Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) that used facial recognition from Clearview AI and social media monitoring tools to infiltrate online communities and monitor protests. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) sued the USPS for failing to conduct and publish a privacy impact assessment as required by the E-Government Act. A federal district court dismissed the lawsuit on standing grounds, ruling that EPIC did not suffer a cognizable injury from the agency's refusal to disclose information about the program.
- Company involved
- United States Postal Service
- AI system involved
- Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
