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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44 incidents closest to “Zillow Rental Manager” · matched on meaning · public reporting

She Lives in America’s Data Center Capital. Her Insane Bills Tell the Story. - Gadget Review

Data centers' electricity and water consumption raised utility bills for local residents.

Company involved
Dominion Energy

1 source article · read the reporting →

SpaceXAI offering to buy homes affected by noise in Southaven - DeSoto Times-Tribune

The power plant's operation generated constant noise that affected nearby residents' quality of life, health, and property values.

Company involved
SpaceXAI

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-8PNW6723 Dec 2025

Single mom loses six-figure job after alleged background check errors

The background check system flagged discrepancies in employment history, causing the employer to rescind a job offer to Krishan Tucker.

Company involved
HireRight
AI system involved
HireRight

1 source article · read the reporting →

SafeRent Settles Class Action Over Tenant Screening for Voucher Holders

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.

Company involved
SafeRent Solutions, LLC
AI system involved
SafeRent Score

5 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-196C3N1 Feb 2025

Meazure Learning Agrees $1.35m California Bar Exam Class-Action Settlement - Lawyer Monthly

The exam software experienced technical failures that prevented candidates from logging in or completing the California bar exam.

Company involved
Meazure Learning
AI system involved
ProctorU

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-81HREC23 May 2026EN

Severe flooding in Mason County relating to data center construction, residents to be reimbursed for damages

Runoff from construction of the Monarch Compute Campus, a data centre project of Fidelis New Energy with Nscale, flooded homes along University Lane in Mason County, West Virginia, after heavy rain when a section of silt fencing gave way. Residents reported water under their houses and fear mould. The site manager said the company would cover cleanup and repairs; the neighbourhood flooded again in July.

Company involved
Fidelis New Energy / Nscale
AI system involved
Monarch Compute Campus

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-JCS1A01 Jul 2025

Lieff Cabraser and Greer Injury Lawyers Announce Federal Class Action Lawsuit Against X.AI Corp and MZX Tech LLC for Nuisance,…

The data centers and gas turbines emitted constant noise, vibrations, and particulate matter, affecting residents' ability to use and enjoy their properties.

Company involved
X.AI Corp and MZX Tech LLC
AI system involved
Colossus I, Colossus II, MACROHARDRR, Minihard data centers and gas turbines

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-FPFUBS1 Jun 2021

How Your Shadow Credit Score Could Decide Whether You Get an Apartment - ProPublica

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.

Company involved
Habitat America
AI system involved
RentGrow

1 source article · read the reporting →

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 →

WF-6420WA21 Jun 2022

Meta Agrees to Alter Ad Technology in Settlement With U.S. (Published 2022) - The New York Times

The ad delivery system allegedly discriminated in housing ad delivery on the basis of protected characteristics.

Company involved
Meta
AI system involved
ad technology

1 source article · read the reporting →

Florida Title Company Stops AI Deepfake Property Fraud Attempt

A title company owner in Hallandale Beach, Florida, detected an attempted property fraud using a deepfake video. The scammer posed as the owner of a vacant lot, providing a fake driver's licence and a looped video during a video call. The title company owner noticed the video was not interactive and halted the sale. The true owner's property tax bills had been sent to the Bahamas, and the scammer used a photo of a missing woman from California.

Company involved
Florida Title and Trust

4 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-6UQQ7P1 Jan 2016

Dutch city uses black-box algorithm for home valuation

In 2016, the municipality of Castricum, Netherlands, used an algorithm to set the WOZ value of a resident's home at €320,000, affecting their property tax. The resident challenged the valuation, arguing earthquake damage reduced the value, but the municipality could not explain how the algorithm arrived at the figure. On appeal, an Amsterdam court upheld the valuation, finding it reasonable based on comparable sales, but ordered the municipality to pay court costs for failing to provide an explanation as required by GDPR.

Company involved
Municipality of Castricum

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-ANLJ9Z13 Sep 2022

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 →

WF-CESBK714 Oct 2024

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 →

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 →

WF-ZTR26N1 Nov 2023

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 →

WF-MH8ZGZ1 Jan 2025

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 →

WF-H8TVUM1 Nov 2021

Zillow shuts down iBuying after algorithms cause $380 million loss

Zillow shut down its Zillow Offers iBuying business after its pricing algorithms, known as Zestimates, consistently overvalued homes. The company purchased thousands of homes at above-market prices and is now selling many at a loss, expecting to lose an estimated $380 million. Zillow attributed the failure to the algorithms' inability to accurately forecast home prices in a volatile market. The company will write off $569 million in home inventory and lay off 25% of its staff.

Company involved
Zillow
AI system involved
Zestimates

5 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 →

WF-XMHLUZ1 Jul 2018

Brooklyn landlord abandons facial recognition plan after tenant protests

Robert Nelson, president of Nelson Management Group, planned to install a facial recognition system at Atlantic Plaza Towers, a rent-stabilized building in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Tenants protested, citing privacy concerns and studies showing the technology disproportionately impacts people of color. After a town hall meeting, Nelson announced he was withdrawing the application with the state housing agency. The reversal was seen as a victory by tenants, who continue to push for legislation banning facial recognition in residential buildings.

Company involved
Nelson Management Group

10 source articles · read the reporting →

WF-UXMQY922 Jun 2023

Bankrate Publishes AI-Generated Article with Numerous Factual Errors, Deletes After Futurism Inquiry

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.

Company involved
Bankrate

1 source article · read the reporting →

WF-5919YN1 Sep 2019

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 →

WF-VRMEET23 Aug 2024

West Virginia Couple Targeted in AI-Generated Real Estate Scam

Raegan Bartlo received an email on August 23, 2024, that appeared to be from her title company lawyer, instructing her to wire a $255,000 down payment for her new home. The email was part of a scam using generative AI to impersonate real estate professionals. Cybersecurity officials say such scams are occurring across the country, targeting homebuyers. The Bartlos were targets, but it is unclear if they lost any money.

1 source article · 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 →

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