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 “Public Sector Solutions Benefit Management” · matched on meaning · public reporting
Workday's AI hiring tools screened and rejected job applications from Derek Mobley and other Black applicants, women, people over 40, and people with disabilities.
1 source article · read the reporting →
The system screened job applicants and rejected them, allegedly discriminating based on age and sex.
1 source article · read the reporting →
Workday Gains an Edge in AI Hiring Bias Fight: California Brief - Bloomberg Law News
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 →
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.
1 source article · read the reporting →
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.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
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.
1 source article · read the reporting →
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.
7 source articles · read the reporting →
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.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Trelleborg municipality in Sweden introduced a fully automated system named Ernst to handle welfare applications. An analysis of the system's source code, obtained via a freedom of information request, revealed that the names and social security numbers of approximately 250 people were included in the code since its introduction, making them visible to anyone who filed a request. The municipality is investigating the leak, which is also the subject of a complaint to the Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
The Department of Government Efficiency developed an AI tool to identify unnecessary VA contracts, but it used outdated models and lacked context, leading to misclassification. At least 24 contracts were canceled, affecting cancer research and nurse care tools. The VA acknowledged the tool's role but stated all contracts undergo human review. Experts criticized the use of AI for such complex decisions.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
In December 2017, Boston Public Schools announced new school start times and bus schedules generated by an algorithm designed by MIT researchers. Some parents, predominantly white, protested the changes, arguing they were unfair. The city reversed the decision after the protest, despite the algorithm's aim to improve equity and sleep health for the majority of students. The incident highlighted the lack of transparency in algorithmic decision-making.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
The Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner reported that Estonia's social security system used AI to establish incapacity levels and remove benefits from elderly people without human involvement. The system allegedly made decisions automatically, leading to complaints from NGOs.
8 source articles · read the reporting →
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.
3 source articles · read the reporting →
The UK government is reportedly using artificial intelligence to make decisions on welfare benefits and immigration applications. The system automates decisions previously made by human caseworkers. Concerns have been raised about the fairness and transparency of such automated decisions.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
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.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
A rural worker in Brazil, Josélia de Brito, had her pension application through the Meu INSS app automatically denied after the AI system misidentified her as a man. The INSS deployed the system to speed up benefit decisions, but experts say it struggles with complex rural cases. The case is cited as evidence that automation may exclude vulnerable people with limited digital access.
4 source articles · read the reporting →
The Robodebt system, an automated debt recovery system used by Centrelink, calculated welfare debts using averaged income data from the ATO, leading to invalid debts. A class action was filed in November 2019 and settled in November 2020. The settlement provided refunds of over $751 million in invalid debts collected and $112 million in compensation to approximately 400,000 group members. The Australian government also dropped claims for over $1 billion in invalid debts.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
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.
2 source articles · read the reporting →
The Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) uses an algorithm to classify job seekers into categories A, B, and C, determining their access to benefits and training. Scientists from TU Wien, WU Wien, and University of Vienna have criticised the algorithm for lacking transparency, as only two of 96 model variants have been published. They allege that the system may discriminate against women and people with migration background, and that job seekers are not informed about how the algorithm works or given a chance to appeal.
10 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 →
Barclays introduced a pilot of employee monitoring software from Sapience in its product control department at Canary Wharf. The system monitors computer activity and admonishes staff if they are not deemed active enough, recording breaks as "unaccounted activity". Employees reported significant stress and worry about taking breaks. Barclays acknowledged the pilot and said it would listen to feedback.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
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.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
The Dutch government deployed the SyRI algorithm to profile welfare recipients in low-income neighborhoods, despite a 2020 court ruling that the system violated EU human rights. The algorithm flagged thousands of parents for fraud based on illegal risk factors such as dual nationality, leading to false accusations, bankruptcy, and trauma. The government has announced an external review of the practices.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
