{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-10-23T07:43:57.948Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"settled","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"2020","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":2,"coverage":{"cases":2,"countries":0,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":2,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":0,"lawsuits":1,"regulatory":0,"minors":0,"coreRelations":1,"contextualRelations":1,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":0,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":0},"countingNote":"Distinct public cases in this selection. People counts apply within individual cases only; cross-case person overlap has not been resolved. No population incidence estimate.","affectedCountNote":"Interpret person counts with affectedCountStatus and the reported effects. Unquantified zeros are placeholders, not a measured zero.","source":"AI incidents","publisher":"NOPE","url":"https://nope.net/incidents","license":"CC BY 4.0"},"incidents":[{"id":"2020-canadian-voice-actor-alleged-tiktok-text-to-speech-used-her-voice-without-permission-suit-settled","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Plaintiff was hired by the Institute of Acoustics to'; 'perform voice work purportedly for Chinese translations'; 'and artificial intelligence technology'; 'Plaintiff did not have a contract with the Institute of Acoustics'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'She thinks the company got her voice from recordings she says she did for the Institute of Acoustics'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Standing says she was hired by the Institute of Acoustics for voice work described as Chinese translations, related to text-to-speech and AI technology, which left the institute with files of her voice, and that she had no contract allowing their transfer.","causal_attribution":"The plaintiff’s allegations and interview; not tested in court."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'During November of 2020, Plaintiff discovered that her electronic voice'; 'generated voice of TikTok'; 'Plaintiff was not compensated for the use of her voice and likeness and'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'According to Standing, a computer-generated version of her voice was built into a feature that converts text typed into the app into a voice'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"She alleges that she discovered in November 2020 that ByteDance had acquired her voice files and was using her voice, without permission or payment, as the female computer-generated voice of TikTok's text-to-speech feature.","causal_attribution":"The plaintiff’s allegations; TikTok never confirmed the voice was hers."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'the TikTok user is able to'; 'determine what words are spoken in'; 'have involved foul and offensive language'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The complaint says TikTok users chose the words spoken in her voice and that some videos had it say foul and offensive language.","causal_attribution":"The plaintiff’s allegations."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'noticed a new female voice narrating their videos on Monday, about three weeks after a Canadian actor filed a lawsuit'; 'CBC News asked TikTok about the voice change, but the company did not comment on it or the case.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'they did change their text-to-speech voice two weeks after the original lawsuit'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"About three weeks after she sued, TikTok users noticed a new female voice narrating videos; TikTok did not comment on the change or the case.","causal_attribution":"Reported observation of the voice change; the two reports give different intervals (two and three weeks)."},{"id":"c5","status":"documented","evidence":[{"locator":"'from Robert Sciglimpaglia dated 09/25/2021 re: Settlement'; 'hereby dismissed and discontinued without costs, and without prejudice to the right to reopen the action within thirty days'; 'STIPULATION OF VOLUNTARY DISMISSAL It is hereby stipulated and agreed by and between the parties and/or their respective counsel(s) that the above-captioned action is voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice against the defendant(s) ByteDance Inc.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Her lawyer wrote to the court about a settlement on 25 September 2021 and the court dismissed the action on 29 September 2021, allowing reopening within thirty days if the settlement was not consummated; on 29 October 2021 a stipulation of voluntary dismissal with prejudice was filed.","causal_attribution":"Docket entries."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'told The Verge that the settlement is still being finalised, and the details should not be disclosed'; 'he added that TikTok would also license'; 'While TikTok has never confirmed that Bev was indeed behind their original text-to-speech voice'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"Her lawyer told The Verge the settlement was an amicable resolution whose details would not be disclosed and that TikTok would license her voice; TikTok never confirmed that she was behind its original voice.","causal_attribution":"Plaintiff’s lawyer’s statement relayed by MusicTech; TikTok’s non-confirmation recorded as counterevidence."}],"effects":[{"label":"voice actor alleges a computer-generated version of her voice was used as TikTok’s text-to-speech voice without permission or payment","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.559723/gov.uscourts.nysd.559723.9.0.pdf","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Amended complaint (ECF 9); allegations only.","independence_group":"standing-v-bytedance-litigation"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/tiktok-voice-bev-standing-1.6040303","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Interview with the plaintiff and the reporter’s account of the voice change.","independence_group":"standing-v-bytedance-litigation"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/59884390/standing-v-bytedance-e-commerce-inc/","kind":"court_record","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Docket entries as listed on CourtListener (RECAP).","independence_group":"standing-v-bytedance-litigation"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://musictech.com/news/industry/tiktok-reaches-settlement-voice-without-permission-for-text-to-speech","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read in English on 2026-10-23 (HTTP 200). Relays the plaintiff’s lawyer’s statement to The Verge.","independence_group":"standing-v-bytedance-litigation"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["work","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["Whether TikTok's original text-to-speech voice was in fact built from her recordings; TikTok never confirmed it.","How her recordings reached ByteDance, if they did.","The settlement terms and whether TikTok used a licensed version of her voice afterwards.","How many videos used the voice."],"geography":{"basis":"The voice was used on a global app in videos the actor says were seen around the world, so no event country is recorded. The complaint says she is a Canadian citizen living in Ontario, recorded as the affected person's country. The court is the Southern District of New York.","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":["CA"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a core case (depicted_or_impersonated): a named voice actor alleged in a federal suit, later settled, that TikTok's text-to-speech feature spoke users' words in a computer-generated version of her voice made without her permission. One source chain, her complaint and interview with the litigation record, read in four sources; the voice's origin remains her allegation.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-23"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"TikTok's text-to-speech feature generated speech in a computer-generated voice from text typed by users. The actor alleges, in her complaint and to CBC, that this voice was built from recordings she made for text-to-speech and AI work, so that it spoke in her voice whatever users typed, including offensive language (depicted_or_impersonated). That the voice was made from her recordings is her allegation; TikTok changed the voice after the suit but never confirmed its origin.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Canadian voice actor alleged TikTok's text-to-speech feature used a computer-generated version of her voice without permission; suit settled in 2021","summary":"Canadian voice actor Bev Standing alleged in a May 2021 federal suit in New York that ByteDance's TikTok was using her voice, without permission or payment, as the female computer-generated voice of its text-to-speech feature, which lets users choose the words spoken over their videos. Her complaint says she discovered this in November 2020, that the voice came from recordings she had made for the Institute of Acoustics for work described as Chinese translations related to text-to-speech, and that some videos made the voice say foul and offensive language. About three weeks after she sued, users noticed a new female voice on the feature (CBC); TikTok did not comment and never confirmed that the original voice was hers. The case was dismissed in September 2021 after her lawyer reported a settlement, whose terms were not disclosed.","incidentDate":"2020-11-01","incidentKind":"ongoing_experience","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2021-05-05","aiSystem":"TikTok's text-to-speech feature, introduced in late 2020, which turns typed text into a computer-generated voice played over videos; the complaint alleges its original female voice was built from the actor's recordings","aiProduct":"TikTok text-to-speech","aiCompany":"ByteDance","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"A voice actor alleged that TikTok used a computer-generated version of her voice, made from recordings she had supplied for other purposes, as its text-to-speech voice without permission or payment, including in videos with offensive language; the suit was settled.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One person, the plaintiff whose voice the complaint says was used (amended complaint; CBC). Exact 1.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"US","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"lawsuit_settled","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.559723/gov.uscourts.nysd.559723.9.0.pdf","primarySourceLabel":"Standing v. Bytedance, S.D.N.Y. 7:21-cv-04033, amended complaint, 11 May 2021 (ECF 9)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-23T03:15:06.860563+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-23T03:15:06.860563+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["synthetic-voice","text-to-speech","voice-actors","tiktok","lawsuit","settlement","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2020-mac-make-up-artists-say-hirevue-algorithm-marked-video-interview-led-to-redundancy-estee-lauder-settled","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The make-up artists lost their jobs after they were told to reapply for their posts via an automated video interview.; The software is made by the recruitment company HireVue, and the process dates back to 2020, following the furlough scheme.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The former MAC retail workers were told by its parent that redundancies were being made, and that they would have to reapply for their roles.; As part of that process, a video interview took place, which was run by US tech company HireVue, and was marked by an algorithm.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"In a 2020 redundancy process, three MAC make-up artists were told to reapply for their roles and to complete a video interview run by HireVue and marked by an algorithm.","causal_attribution":"Both outlets relay the BBC Three documentary Computer Says No and the Times; the company confirms that a HireVue skills assessment was part of the consultation process."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Following the interview, they were informed they were being made redundant, partly as a result of the automated judgement by the computer.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"All three women lost their jobs following the interview.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"All three lost their jobs following the interview; City AM reports that they were made redundant partly as a result of the automated judgement.","causal_attribution":"The women's account relayed by both outlets; the company says performance data and qualitative feedback made up most of the assessment and denies that facial recognition played a decisive role."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Nobody saw the video, it was all algorithms.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The three women also said that no one could explain how they were scored in the HireVue interview.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"The women say no one could explain how they were scored in the HireVue interview, and one said nobody watched the video.","causal_attribution":"The women's statements in the BBC Three documentary, relayed by both outlets."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Three former Estée Lauder staff have won a settlement against the cosmetics giant","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"has settled out of court with three make-up artists; All three women were unable to discuss the value of the agreement reached with ELC in the documentary.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Estée Lauder Companies settled the three women's claims out of court; the value was not disclosed.","causal_attribution":"Reported by both outlets from the documentary and the Times; no settlement terms or admission are reported."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"using the HireVue process in tandem with human decision-making produces fairer outcomes and we stand by it; facial recognition accounted for well under 1% (0.25%) of employees’ overall assessment.; which accounted for the majority of the employment assessment, to make decisions on employment.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"All interviewees were told in advance the consultation process would involve HireVue skills assessment and the role that technology would play in the process.; any suggestion that facial recognition technology played a decisive role in any employment-related decision","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Estée Lauder says interviewees were told in advance about the HireVue skills assessment, that the HireVue process used in tandem with human decision-making produces fairer outcomes, that facial recognition was about 0.25% of the overall assessment, that performance data and qualitative feedback made up most of it, and that any suggestion facial recognition played a decisive role is false.","causal_attribution":"The company's statements to City AM, Cosmetics Business and the Times."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"said that the video analysis component of HireVue’s algorithm was “voluntarily discontinued nearly two years ago”","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"HireVue's chief executive said the video-analysis component of its algorithm had been voluntarily discontinued nearly two years before the March 2022 reports.","causal_attribution":"HireVue's statement relayed by Cosmetics Business; it does not say whether the component was used in the women's interviews."}],"effects":[{"label":"job loss following an algorithm-marked video interview in redundancy selection","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cityam.com/estee-lauder-settles-with-former-staff-over-algorithm-redundancies/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English article of 17 March 2022 read in full on 2026-10-22 by the research agent (an AI) (HTTP 200); no translation required. It relays the BBC Three documentary and the Times and carries a company statement given to City AM.","independence_group":"bbc-three-computer-says-no-and-company-statements"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/est-e-lauder-settles-out-of-court-with-staff-who-were-sacked-by-algorithm--199624","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"English article published 21 March 2022 read in full on 2026-10-22 by the research agent (an AI) (HTTP 200); no translation required. It relays the BBC Three documentary and carries statements from the company and HireVue; it depends on the same documentary as s1.","independence_group":"bbc-three-computer-says-no-and-company-statements"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["work"],"unknowns":["How much each woman's HireVue score weighed against performance data and qualitative feedback in her selection.","Whether HireVue's video-analysis component was used in these interviews; HireVue said it had been discontinued about two years before March 2022.","The settlement terms and whether any claim reached a tribunal hearing.","Where the women worked within MAC UK & Ireland."],"geography":{"basis":"The sources name the employer unit as MAC UK & Ireland and mention the furlough scheme and BBC Three, but do not state where the women worked or where they brought their claims, so no country is recorded.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":[],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"Published as a workplace adverse experience: an algorithm marked the women's HireVue video interviews in a redundancy process, the employer confirms it used that assessment alongside human decisions, and the three lost their jobs and settled their claims. The weight of the algorithm's marking is disputed by the employer and is recorded as such.","reviewed_on":"2026-10-22"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Both outlets report that the women's video interviews were run by HireVue and marked by an algorithm, and Estée Lauder confirms that a HireVue skills assessment was part of the consultation and was used in tandem with human decision-making. City AM reports the women were made redundant partly as a result of that automated judgement. The company disputes its weight: it says facial recognition was about 0.25% of the assessment and performance data and qualitative feedback the majority, so the AI involvement is confirmed by the employer and how far the algorithm's marking decided each outcome is disputed.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about","informed_decision_about"]},"name":"Three MAC make-up artists say an algorithm-marked HireVue video interview led to their redundancy; Estée Lauder settled their claims","summary":"City AM and Cosmetics Business reported in March 2022, relaying the BBC Three documentary Computer Says No and the Times, that three make-up artists at MAC, an Estée Lauder Companies brand, lost their jobs in a 2020 redundancy process after being told to reapply for their roles through a video interview run by HireVue and marked by an algorithm. City AM reports that they were made redundant partly as a result of the automated judgement. The women said no one could explain how they had been scored, and one said nobody watched the video. Estée Lauder settled their claims out of court; the amount was not disclosed. The company says staff were told in advance about the HireVue skills assessment, that the process was used in tandem with human decision-making, that facial recognition made up about 0.25% of the overall assessment and performance data and qualitative feedback most of it, and that any suggestion facial recognition played a decisive role is false. HireVue said its video-analysis component had been discontinued about two years earlier. How much the HireVue score weighed in each decision is not reported.","incidentDate":"2020-01-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"year","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2022-03-17","aiSystem":"HireVue video interview and skills assessment, marked by an algorithm, used by Estée Lauder Companies in a 2020 redundancy process at MAC","aiProduct":"HireVue","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Three make-up artists lost their jobs in a 2020 redundancy process after a HireVue video interview marked by an algorithm; City AM reports the automated judgement was part of the reason, and the company disputes that facial recognition was decisive (women's account and company statements relayed by two outlets).","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"disputed","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":3,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"Three former make-up artists: 'All three women lost their jobs following the interview' (Cosmetics Business) and 'Three former Estée Lauder staff have won a settlement' (City AM). They were assessed by the system, not its users.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","outcomeStatus":"resolved","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cityam.com/estee-lauder-settles-with-former-staff-over-algorithm-redundancies/","primarySourceLabel":"City AM, 17 March 2022: Estée Lauder settles with former staff over algorithm redundancies","firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-22T03:08:12.444441+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-10-22T03:08:12.444441+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["ai-hiring-assessment","redundancy","workplace-ai","video-interview"]}]}