{"meta":{"exportedAt":"2026-09-30T04:41:52.258Z","formatVersion":2,"selection":{"q":"vendor","system":"","harm":"","context":"","country":"","role":"","relation":"","evidence":"","year":"","response":"","severity":"","verification":"","view":"incidents","sort":"added"},"totalIncidents":5,"coverage":{"cases":5,"countries":4,"languages":1,"unknownLocation":0,"locationPending":0,"unknownLanguage":0,"unknownDate":1,"lawsuits":0,"regulatory":1,"minors":1,"coreRelations":1,"contextualRelations":3,"mixedRelations":0,"unknownRelations":1,"relationPending":0,"relationUnknown":1},"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":"2026-south-africa-sassa-elife-certification-portal-facial-verification-failures-reported-by-pensioners","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The eLife Certification was implemented on March 30, 2026, as a digital verification tool to curb fraud.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Beneficiaries who fail to complete the process risk having their grants suspended.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"secure biometric verification through the electronic Know Your Client (eKYC) system","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"Beneficiaries who fail to complete life certification as directed may face payment delays or suspension of their grants.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"SASSA's eLife Certification is a self-service life certification on its online portal that uses biometric verification through its electronic Know Your Client (eKYC) system. IOL reports it was implemented on 30 March 2026. SASSA said beneficiaries who fail to complete life certification as directed may face payment delays or suspension of their grants.","causal_attribution":"The implementation date comes from IOL alone. SASSA statements read do not give a start date. The suspension consequence is SASSA's own stated rule and no suspension of either pensioner's grant is reported."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"SASSA would like to apologise to all our beneficiaries who could not access our self-service portal after they were notified to undertake the eLife Certification verification process by the Agency.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"there were system glitches which led to delay and disruptions in completing eLife Certification, leading to long queues at SASSA offices.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"the Agency can report that the challenge has been resolved.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"On 10 April 2026 SASSA apologised to beneficiaries who could not access its self-service portal after being notified to complete eLife Certification. It said system glitches linked to interfaces with other departments had caused delays and disruptions and long queues at its offices, and said the challenge had been resolved.","causal_attribution":"SASSA's own account of its portal. The statement does not mention facial recognition and attributes the glitches to interfaces with other departments."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"both pensioners, told IOL they had tried to complete the facial recognition option on the portal but to no avail.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"We have been trying since Thursday, April 2, to do the selfie bit but it does not work after trying for 22 times","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A pensioner couple told IOL they had tried the facial recognition option on the eLife portal 22 times since 2 April 2026 without success. IOL published the account on 23 April 2026.","causal_attribution":"Single first-person account relayed by one outlet. The cause of the failures is not established. The department attributes facial verification problems in general to poor lighting, unstable connectivity or missing Home Affairs biometric records (see c6)."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"IOL has been inundated with emails and calls from beneficiaries nationwide claiming they were unable to complete the mandatory certification process.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"beneficiaries cite consistent failures with facial recognition and one-time pins (OTPs).","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"The system just kept on loading and never went through to my profile. I have been struggling for three weeks","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Then also indicated that the Department of Home Affairs is not available to verify my particulars","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"IOL reported that beneficiaries nationwide contacted it to say they could not complete the certification and cited failures with facial recognition and one-time PINs. One pensioner said the site kept loading without reaching their profile for three weeks, and reported a one-time PIN rejection and a message that Home Affairs was not available to verify their particulars.","causal_attribution":"Unquantified accounts relayed by IOL. The pensioner who described the loading failure and the one-time PIN rejection did not describe a facial recognition failure."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"The Sassa portals are working as evidenced by the number of clients who have accessed the online services.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"As of April 16, 2026, 13,644 (88%) of the 15,499 unique clients who accessed the online verification services via the client portal were successfully verified","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"However, Sassa admitted the system has been working intermittently.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"A SASSA spokesperson told IOL the portals are working and that, as of 16 April 2026, 13,644 (88%) of 15,499 unique clients who accessed the online verification services via the client portal were successfully verified. IOL reports SASSA admitted the system had been working intermittently.","causal_attribution":"SASSA's own figures and account, which were not independently verified. The figures count clients who accessed online verification and do not report how many failed the facial step."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"SASSA said most non-verification cases were driven by beneficiaries failing to respond to notifications, not completing life certification, or unsuccessful facial recognition attempts on online platforms.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"In such cases, beneficiaries are redirected to fingerprint biometric verification at local offices.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"The agency said it had recorded 7,779 complaints linked to its electronic facial biometric system","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"The department attributed facial verification issues to poor lighting, unstable connectivity, or missing biometric records at the Department of Home Affairs.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"The agency said it had recorded 7 779 complaints linked to its electronic facial biometric system.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"IOL's 24 May 2026 report on a parliamentary reply says SASSA said most non-verification cases were driven by beneficiaries who did not respond to notifications, did not complete life certification, or had unsuccessful facial recognition attempts on online platforms, and that such beneficiaries are redirected to fingerprint verification at local offices. IOL says SASSA had recorded 7,779 complaints linked to its electronic facial biometric system and that the department attributed facial verification issues to poor lighting, unstable connectivity or missing biometric records at the Department of Home Affairs.","causal_attribution":"SASSA's account relayed by two outlets that share one reporter and one reply, so they are one chain. The reports do not date the complaints or say whether they concern eLife Certification or earlier online facial verification, and do not say how many were repeat complaints."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"with 67,868 grants suspended in the third quarter alone","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"a grant is suspended 2 months after a beneficiary was notified to conduct a review and has not yet done so","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"around 70 000 grants have been suspended due to beneficiaries failing to come forward for review","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The parliamentary reply reported 67,868 grants suspended in the third quarter (the reports do not identify the period) under a rule that a grant is suspended two months after a beneficiary was notified to conduct a review and has not yet done so. A Parliament committee statement of 5 February 2026 reported around 70,000 grants suspended for beneficiaries failing to come forward for review.","causal_attribution":"The suspension figures are context. No inspected report says how many suspensions followed a facial verification failure, and the committee statement predates the eLife implementation date reported by IOL."}],"effects":[{"label":"Pensioners reported repeated failures of the facial recognition step in a mandatory online life certification, with a stated risk of payment delay or grant suspension if it is not completed","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"},{"label":"SASSA reported delays, disruptions and long queues at its offices after beneficiaries could not use the self-service certification portal, which SASSA attributed to interfaces with other departments (its statement does not mention facial recognition)","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-04-23-sassa-elife-certification-portal-beneficiaries-report-ongoing-glitches-despite-agency-denials/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"iol-elife-glitches-report"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/sassa-self-service-system-restored-following-earlier-challenges-10-apr-2026","kind":"official_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"sassa-10-apr-2026-statement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-05-24-sassas-biometric-rollout-leaves-thousands-without-grants-amid-fraud-crackdown/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"parliamentary-reply-iol-report"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://dailyvoice.co.za/news/2026-05-25-sassas-face-palm-facial-recognition-tech-linked-to-the-suspension-of-68-000-grants/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"parliamentary-reply-iol-report"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.parliament.gov.za/index.php/press-releases/media-statement-committee-notes-grant-reviews-are-necessary-protect-poor-and-public-funds","kind":"official_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"parliament-committee-5-feb-2026-statement"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["public_services","accessibility"],"unknowns":["The reports do not say how many of the 67,868 grant suspensions (third quarter, period not identified) followed unsuccessful facial recognition. The suspensions are governed by a review non-response rule, and a committee statement dated 5 February 2026 already reported around 70,000 suspensions before the eLife implementation date reported by IOL.","The 30 March 2026 implementation date comes from IOL only. The SASSA statements read do not give a start date.","SASSA's statement refers to facial recognition on online platforms in general. Neither IOL 24 May 2026 nor Daily Voice 25 May 2026 mentions eLife Certification, and IOL places the reply within a biometric verification rollout dated from September 2025 (compulsory biometric enrolment for new applicants, verified at local offices). Whether the 7,779 complaints and the redirections to fingerprint checks concern eLife Certification at all is not stated. Facial photo verification through the same eKYC system for Social Relief of Distress grant applicants was reported earlier (Biometric Update, August 2024, and Corruption Watch, January 2025) and is a separate earlier deployment that this case does not cover.","Whether the pensioner couple later completed certification, or whether any grant was delayed or suspended, is not reported.","The cause of the couple's failed attempts is not established (lighting, connectivity, missing Home Affairs records, or the facial matching itself).","SASSA said on 10 April 2026 that the problem was resolved, and IOL reported failures continuing on 23 April 2026. The 88% success figure is SASSA's and was not checked.","The pensioner accounts come from one outlet (IOL). A Joburg ETC article of the same date relays it and adds nothing independent.","IOL page dates were taken from the URLs (23 April and 24 May 2026) because the page bodies show only relative ages."],"geography":{"basis":"IOL reports social grant recipients across South Africa struggling with the portal, and the SASSA statement and parliamentary reply concern the South African Social Security Agency's beneficiaries.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["ZA"],"affected_person_countries":["ZA"]},"publication":{"basis":"IOL (23 April and 24 May 2026), SASSA's 10 April 2026 statement on gov.za, Daily Voice and a Parliament committee statement were read in full. SASSA's and IOL's accounts are attributed and left at reported, and the pensioners' failures come from one outlet. The pensioners are not named. No inspected report attributes any grant suspension to facial verification failures.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The sources describe a facial recognition step in SASSA's eLife Certification portal, which uses biometric verification through the eKYC system and integration with Home Affairs systems, and IOL's 24 May 2026 report of a parliamentary reply refers to SASSA's electronic facial biometric system without saying whether it is the eLife portal. The vendor and model are not identified. The department attributes facial verification problems to poor lighting, unstable connectivity or missing Home Affairs biometric records, and a SASSA spokesperson says the portals work with intermittent downtime, so the cause of any individual failure is not established.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_decision_about"]},"name":"South Africa: pensioners report repeated failures of the facial recognition step in SASSA's eLife certification portal, and SASSA reports disruptions and office queues","summary":"The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) introduced an online eLife Certification (life certification) for grant beneficiaries that uses biometric verification through its electronic Know Your Client (eKYC) system. IOL reports the certification was implemented on 30 March 2026. SASSA says beneficiaries who do not complete life certification as directed may face payment delays or suspension. On 10 April 2026 SASSA apologised to beneficiaries who could not access the portal, said system glitches linked to interfaces with other departments had caused delays, disruptions and long queues at its offices, and said the problem was resolved. On 23 April 2026 IOL reported that a pensioner couple said they had tried the facial recognition option 22 times since 2 April without success, and that beneficiaries nationwide told IOL they could not complete the certification, citing failures with facial recognition and one-time PINs, with one pensioner also reporting a message that Home Affairs was not available to verify their particulars. A SASSA spokesperson said the portals work and that 13,644 (88%) of the 15,499 unique clients who accessed the online verification services by 16 April were verified, and IOL reports SASSA admitted the system has been working intermittently. In a May 2026 report on a parliamentary reply, IOL said SASSA stated that unsuccessful facial recognition attempts on online platforms were among the causes of non-verification (those beneficiaries are redirected to fingerprint checks at local offices) and that it had recorded 7,779 complaints linked to its electronic facial biometric system. The department attributed facial verification issues to poor lighting, unstable connectivity or missing biometric records at Home Affairs. Neither May report mentions the eLife portal, and IOL places the figures within a biometric verification rollout that it dates from September 2025. The reports do not say how many grants were suspended because of facial verification failures.","incidentDate":"2026-03-30","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"repeated_interactions","reportedDate":"2026-04-23","aiSystem":"Facial recognition step in SASSA's eLife Certification portal (biometric verification through the eKYC system, integrated with Home Affairs systems). Vendor and model not identified in the sources.","aiProduct":"SASSA eLife facial verification","aiCompany":"South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), deployer","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["other_material_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"SASSA said glitches caused delays, disruptions and long queues at its offices, and a pensioner couple told IOL they had tried the facial recognition step 22 times since 2 April without success. SASSA warned that beneficiaries who do not complete life certification as directed may face payment delays or suspension. No inspected report says that either pensioner's grant was delayed or suspended.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":2,"affectedCountStatus":"partial","affectedCountEvidence":"IOL reports one pensioner couple (two people) who said the facial recognition step failed 22 times. IOL says it was inundated with emails and calls from beneficiaries nationwide and SASSA recorded 7,779 complaints, but complaints are not people and the number of beneficiaries who failed facial verification is not reported, so no larger count is recorded. The 67,868 grant suspensions are not counted because no inspected report attributes them to facial verification.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/2026-04-23-sassa-elife-certification-portal-beneficiaries-report-ongoing-glitches-despite-agency-denials/","primarySourceLabel":"IOL (23 Apr 2026)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T21:16:13.146866+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:54.03839+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2026"]},{"id":"2026-elephant-and-castle-sainsburys-facewatch-shopper-told-to-leave","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"says he was in his local store on January 27 when staff approached him, asked him to leave and took his shopping.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"he was told to abandon his shopping and escorted outside","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"He described how one of the staff members had looked between him and a phone in her hand, before nodding to her colleagues.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"They had the security on my left hand side, and two managers on my right hand side so I was surrounded in the aisle.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"approached by three Sainsbury's staff, including a security guard","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"He reported being approached by three store managers holding smartphones.","relation":"context","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"A shopper at the Sainsbury's store in Elephant and Castle, London, was approached by store staff, told to leave and escorted out, leaving the shopping behind. The BBC reports three staff including a security guard, one of whom looked between the shopper and a phone before nodding to colleagues.","causal_attribution":"The shopper's own account, given separately to the BBC, LBC and PA. Sainsbury's confirmed it approached the wrong person and apologised. Outlets differ on the staff count (three staff including a security guard in the BBC report, security plus two managers in the LBC report, three store managers holding smartphones in The Register)."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"says he was in his local store on January 27 when staff approached him, asked him to leave and took his shopping.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"30 Jan 2026, 14:21 Updated: 30 Jan 2026","relation":"context","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"announced in January that it would be expanding its use of the Facewatch software to include five London stores - Dalston, Elephant and Castle, Ladbroke Grove, Camden and Whitechapel.","relation":"context","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"was asked to put down his shopping basket and leave his local Sainsbury’s store after being told he had come up on the Facewatch system in February.","relation":"contradicts","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"The event took place on 27 January 2026.","causal_attribution":"Only the PA copy gives a day, and it gives no year. The LBC report dated 30 January 2026 and the BBC report of 5 February 2026 (store added to the Facewatch rollout in January) place it in 2026. A Guardian feature of 3 May 2026 says February, which conflicts with the LBC publication date. The record uses the PA date."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"staff informed him he had been flagged by their facial recognition system.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"When he asked why, he was directed to a poster in the shop's front window about the use of facial recognition technology and told to contact Facewatch.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"would only direct him to a QR code leading to the website of the firm Facewatch","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Staff told the shopper the facial recognition system had flagged the shopper, gave no other explanation, and pointed to a poster or QR code about Facewatch with instructions to contact that company.","causal_attribution":"The shopper's own account. The Guardian says the supermarket staff were unable to explain why the shopper was being told to leave."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"Sainsbury's told The Register that its Facewatch system correctly identified a man on its offenders' database, and alerted store managers who manually review each flag.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"However, in responding to the alert, the manager approached the wrong person","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"This incident arose from a case of human error in-store, where a member of staff approached the wrong customer.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"verified that he was not on our database and had not been subject to any alerts generated by Facewatch.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"In reality, it was another shopper flagged down by the technology","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"Sainsbury's told The Register that its Facewatch system correctly identified a man on its offenders' database and alerted store managers, and that the manager then approached the wrong person. Facewatch said a member of staff approached the wrong customer and that the shopper was not on its database and had not been subject to any alert generated by Facewatch.","causal_attribution":"Sainsbury's and Facewatch describing their own conduct and system. The inspected sources do not include a check by anyone outside the two companies. Facewatch also told the shopper that it \"did not play any part\" in the approach (see c5), and no source reconciles that with the Sainsbury's account of a system alert for another person."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"he had to send a copy of his passport and photo of himself.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"the company confirmed he was not on its database, and told him \"Facewatch did not play any part in [him] being approached at the store\".","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"he was told to send in a picture of himself and a photograph of his passport before the firm confirmed it had no record of him on its database.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"To find out whether it held a record, the shopper had to send Facewatch a copy of a passport and a photo. Facewatch then confirmed the shopper was not on its database and that it did not play any part in the shopper being approached.","causal_attribution":"The shopper's account and Facewatch's statement as relayed by the BBC. The Guardian and BBC both rest on the shopper's interview."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"He was redirected to Sainsbury's, which apologised and offered him a £75 shopping voucher.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Sainsbury's told the BBC that management in the Elephant and Castle store would be receiving additional training.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"with additional training provided after this incident to ensure our safeguards are consistently followed.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"}],"assertion":"Sainsbury's apologised, offered the shopper a 75 pound voucher and said management at the store would receive additional training.","causal_attribution":"Sainsbury's statements to the BBC and the Guardian and the shopper's account of the voucher."},{"id":"c7","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"told LBC he was deeply \"embarrassed\" and “intimidated” as he was booted out of his local Sainsbury’s.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"You feel horrible, you feel like a criminal and you don’t even understand why.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"You felt quite helpless in the situation because you’re just thrown from pillar to post","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"he now has “no interest” in shopping in Sainsbury’s","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The shopper reports being embarrassed and intimidated, feeling like a criminal without understanding why, feeling helpless while being passed between Sainsbury's and Facewatch, and having no interest in shopping at Sainsbury's afterwards.","causal_attribution":"The shopper's own statements to LBC, PA and the Guardian. No independent assessment of the effect was inspected."}],"effects":[{"label":"Told to leave a supermarket after a facial recognition alert was raised in the store, then asked to send a passport copy and photo to the vendor to confirm no record existed. Reported embarrassment and feeling like a criminal.","claim_id":"c7","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0lxdn4w2g3o","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"shopper-account-and-company-statements-sainsburys"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/sainsburys-apologises-facial-recognition-london-news-5HjdRdG_2/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"shopper-account-and-company-statements-sainsburys"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/05/london-man-sainsburys-facial-recognition-facewatch","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"shopper-account-and-company-statements-sainsburys"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/06/sainsburys_/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"shopper-account-and-company-statements-sainsburys"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/national/25830692.sainsburys-shopper-wrongly-misidentified-staff-says-felt-like-criminal/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"PA News Agency copy on a Newsquest local site (Enfield Independent). The page carries no date.","independence_group":"shopper-account-and-company-statements-sainsburys"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/03/guilty-until-proven-innocent-shoppers-falsely-identified-by-facial-recognition-struggle-to-clear-their-name","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"shopper-account-and-company-statements-sainsburys"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["everyday_life"],"unknowns":["Whether the system matched the shopper's face at any point is not established. The account that the alert concerned another person rests on Sainsbury's and Facewatch statements and on the Guardian phrase \"It is understood\". No source outside the two companies confirms it.","Facewatch told the shopper it \"did not play any part\" in the approach, while Sainsbury's told The Register that the system alerted managers to a match for another person. The sources do not reconcile the two statements.","The event date rests on the PA copy alone. A Guardian feature of 3 May 2026 says February, and the LBC report dated 30 January 2026 rules that out. The PA copy carries no year and the year comes from the LBC and BBC publication dates.","The LBC text refers to the Old Kent Road shop in two passages. The BBC, PA and the Sainsbury's statement name the Elephant and Castle store, which the record uses.","Whether the person for whom the alert was raised was an offender, and what the staff compared, is not stated.","Sainsbury's says this was the first time a store manager misidentified a customer after the system issued an alert (BBC and The Register). That is the company's own claim and was not checked.","All inspected sources trace to the shopper's interviews and to Sainsbury's and Facewatch statements, so no claim is corroborated."],"geography":{"basis":"Event: a Sainsbury's store in Elephant and Castle, south London (BBC, PA, Sainsbury's statement). Affected person: the LBC report says the shopper has lived in Elephant and Castle for 15 years. No court.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["GB"],"affected_person_countries":["GB"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as an ordinary adverse experience with an automated system. The BBC, LBC, Guardian and PA reports and The Register were read in full from saved bodies and treated as one reporting chain (the shopper's interviews plus company statements). Claims stay at reported status and company statements are attributed. The shopper spoke publicly under their own name and is not named in this record.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Sainsbury's says the store's Facewatch system generated an alert for a different person. Sainsbury's and Facewatch say a store staff member approached the wrong customer. Staff told the shopper that facial recognition had flagged the shopper, the BBC reports a staff member looking between the shopper and a phone before nodding to colleagues, and the Guardian reports that a staff member appeared to affirm that the shopper was the person pictured on a device. Facewatch says it held no record or alert for the shopper. The system therefore did not make a claim about the shopper on the companies' account, and the relation between the system and the shopper is recorded as unknown. Both companies attribute the error to human handling of the alert.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["unknown"]},"name":"London: shopper told to leave a Sainsbury's store after a Facewatch facial recognition alert, which Sainsbury's says concerned a different person","summary":"A shopper at the Sainsbury's store in Elephant and Castle, London, told PA that staff approached the shopper on 27 January, asked the shopper to leave and took the shopping. The BBC and LBC report that staff pointed to a sign about the store's Facewatch facial recognition system and told the shopper to contact Facewatch. Sainsbury's said the system had flagged a different person. Sainsbury's and Facewatch said a staff member approached the wrong customer, and Facewatch said it held no alert or record for the shopper. To confirm this, the shopper sent Facewatch a passport copy and a photo. Sainsbury's apologised, offered a 75 pound voucher and said store management would receive additional training. The shopper reports embarrassment and feeling like a criminal. Both companies attribute the error to store staff.","incidentDate":"2026-01-27","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"day","exposurePattern":"single_interaction","reportedDate":"2026-01-30","aiSystem":"Facewatch live facial recognition alerts (deployed by Sainsbury's)","aiProduct":"Facewatch facial recognition","aiCompany":"Facewatch","severity":"low","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["psychological_distress","reputational_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"The shopper told LBC and PA that being told to leave the store was embarrassing and intimidating and left the shopper feeling like a criminal. The shopper also reports having to send a passport copy and a photo to Facewatch to establish that no record existed.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"disputed","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One shopper reported being told to leave and distressed. The other person for whom the system reportedly raised an alert is not reported as harmed and is not counted.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0lxdn4w2g3o","primarySourceLabel":"BBC News (5 Feb 2026): Sainsbury's ejects man misidentified as offender","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T21:15:49.113797+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:36.308639+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2026"]},{"id":"2025-new-york-union-square-facial-recognition-false-arrest-two-days-jail","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"After his mug shot was generated as a possible match to the offender in an indecent exposure case, he was arrested and spent two days in jail in April before the charges against him were dropped in July.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"was falsely arrested and jailed for two days despite not matching the physical description given by the victim of a sex crime.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Prosecutors dismissed the case last month after ... public defenders, the Legal Aid Society, were able to prove he was falsely identified.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"An indecent exposure suspect search produced a possible facial recognition match to the affected man, who was arrested in April 2025, jailed for two days and charged. Prosecutors dismissed the case in July 2025.","causal_attribution":"The reporting attributes the arrest to the facial recognition possible match followed by police decisions (a photo lineup and the arrest). The inspected sources do not establish what other evidence the police relied on."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"\"The man they were looking for, he was eight inches shorter than me and 70 pounds lighter.\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"Location data from his cell phone showed that ... was miles away from the crime, the New York Times first reported.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The man reports that the suspect was eight inches shorter and 70 pounds lighter than him, and reports say location data from his phone placed him miles from the crime.","causal_attribution":"Physical and location discrepancies are the man's account and a relayed New York Times report. The New York Times article was not readable and the phone data was not inspected."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"for NYPD investigators to make the decision to place him in a photo lineup, which was then shown to the victim, who misidentified him.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"}],"assertion":"A victim was shown a photo lineup that included the man and misidentified him.","causal_attribution":"Hell Gate summarises the New York Times account. Its chain traces to the same original reporting as the New York Times article that was not readable here."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"\"I was in the process of becoming a correctional officer at Rikers Island,\" he told Eyewitness News.","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"But after his arrest, he says \"they kind of froze the hiring process.\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The man says he was in the process of becoming a correctional officer and that after his arrest they \"kind of froze the hiring process.\"","causal_attribution":"Single first-person account relayed by one outlet. No employer statement was inspected and the current hiring status is unknown."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"\"even if there is a possible match, the NYPD cannot and will never make an arrest solely using facial recognition technology.\"","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"}],"assertion":"The NYPD stated that even with a possible facial recognition match it cannot and will never make an arrest solely using facial recognition technology.","causal_attribution":"Police statement relayed by ABC7. It bears on how the match was used and does not address this arrest specifically."},{"id":"c6","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"On Monday, the Legal Aid Society sent a letter to the City's Department of Investigation urging the agency to open a probe into the NYPD's use of facial recognition technology","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"who was wrongfully arrested  based on a false facial recognition match","relation":"context","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"The Legal Aid Society wrote to the city Department of Investigation asking it to investigate NYPD facial recognition use after this and other false arrests.","causal_attribution":"Advocacy response. Legal Aid statements are the organisation's allegations."}],"effects":[{"label":"Arrest and two days in jail after a facial recognition possible match, case later dismissed","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://abc7ny.com/post/man-falsely-jailed-nypds-facial-recognition-surveillance-tech-failed/17664671/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"abc7-interview"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://hellgatenyc.com/legal-aid-investigation-nypd-facial-recognition/","kind":"news","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"nyt-original-account"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://legalaidnyc.org/news/demands-ban-nypd-facial-recognition-technology/","kind":"advocacy_statement","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"legal-aid"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/nyregion/nypd-facial-recognition-dismissed-case.html","kind":"news","access":"unavailable","language":"en","translation_note":"","independence_group":"nyt-original-account"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["justice","work"],"unknowns":["The New York Times article could not be read, so details attributed to it are relayed second-hand.","The facial recognition product, the source of the comparison photo and the match score are unknown.","The Hell Gate article is behind a subscriber paywall after its opening paragraphs; only the visible text was inspected.","The date of the facial recognition search and match (between the 10 February offense and the April arrest) is not stated in the inspected sources; the incident date is the reported arrest month.","The exact arrest day, the court and the dismissal date are not stated in the inspected sources.","Whether the correctional officer hiring process resumed is unknown.","Which evidence besides the possible match supported the arrest and lineup is unknown."],"geography":{"basis":"ABC7 places the offense in Manhattan's Union Square and the arrest by the NYPD. The man's residence and the court are not stated in the inspected sources.","court_countries":[],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":[]},"publication":{"basis":"ABC7 New York and a Legal Aid Society release were read in full. Hell Gate was read only as far as its subscriber paywall allows. The New York Times original was blocked (HTTP 403 and reader relays) and is cited unread. Claims are attributed and left at reported status. The affected person is not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-29"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Hell Gate and ABC7 report the arrest followed a facial recognition possible match. The system, the search image and the match output were not produced, and the New York Times original was not readable.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"New York: man misidentified through facial recognition in an indecent exposure case arrested and jailed two days","summary":"Reporting from August 2025 says an NYPD facial recognition search of images from a February 2025 indecent exposure in Manhattan's Union Square produced a possible match to a man who did not fit the described suspect. The man was placed in a photo lineup, arrested in April 2025 and jailed for two days. Prosecutors dismissed the case in July 2025 after his public defenders showed he was misidentified. The man says the process of becoming a correctional officer 'kind of' froze after the arrest. The NYPD says it never arrests solely on a facial recognition match.","incidentDate":"2025-04-01","incidentKind":"single_event","incidentDatePrecision":"month","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-08-26","aiSystem":"NYPD facial recognition system (product and vendor not identified in the inspected sources)","aiProduct":"Unidentified facial recognition system","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"unverified","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["loss_of_liberty","professional_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"ABC7 and Hell Gate report the man was arrested and jailed for two days before prosecutors dismissed the case, and the man says a correctional officer hiring process 'kind of' froze after the arrest.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"alleged","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":1,"affectedCountStatus":"exact","affectedCountEvidence":"One man reported arrested and jailed. The offense victim and other people are not counted as harmed by the AI.","victimAgeRange":"adult","platformType":"other","primarySourceUrl":"https://abc7ny.com/post/man-falsely-jailed-nypds-facial-recognition-surveillance-tech-failed/17664671/","primarySourceLabel":"ABC7 New York (27 Aug 2025)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T12:42:09.552414+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:11.583854+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["historical-2025"]},{"id":"2026-gilmer-county-georgia-school-vending-vendor-ai-child-abuse-images-pepsi-lawsuit","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'The student told authorities he had asked her to send him pictures through a social media app, a request she considered inappropriate.'; 'Investigators ultimately identified more than 150 underage victims from Georgia and other states, according to prosecutors.'; 'He then used the technology to manipulate the photos to make the children appear nude or, in some cases, engaged in sexual activity.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'then used AI applications to digitally alter the photos to make the subjects appear nude or engage in sexual activity, the district attorney’s office said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'after authorities said they discovered a trove of child sex abuse material that he generated by running normal photographs of the victims through artificial intelligence programs.'; 'included sexual abuse content of more than 150 victims, many of whom were identified as students in Gilmer County, prosecutors said.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"},{"locator":"'the report prompted an extensive investigation that ultimately uncovered hundreds of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, including digitally altered images involving minors from the local community.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"}],"assertion":"According to the prosecuting DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, the investigation began in December 2024 when a Gilmer High School student reported that a vendor who refilled drink machines on campus had asked her through a social media app to send him pictures; he downloaded photographs of minors from social media and used AI applications and bots to alter them so the children appeared nude or engaged in sexual activity; investigators identified more than 150 underage victims from Georgia and other states.","causal_attribution":"Prosecutors' account (one chain via CBS Atlanta, FOX 5 and Atlanta News First; the AJC attributes the same to authorities and prosecutors). The sheriff's separate statement supports digitally altered images of local minors but does not itself describe the AI tools."},{"id":"c2","status":"corroborated","evidence":[{"locator":"'118 counts of sexual exploitation of children.'; 'with 40 to serve in prison and the remainder on probation.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'has been sentenced to 60 years, with 40 years to be served in prison, following his conviction on 118 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'was convicted last month on 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children, court records show.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The vendor was convicted on 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children and sentenced to 60 years, with 40 to be served in prison.","causal_attribution":"Conviction and sentence reported through the DA's statement (CBS Atlanta), the Gilmer County Sheriff's separate statement (FetchYourNews) and the AJC citing court records. The court record itself was not read."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'was found guilty Aug. 13 of 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children.'; 'The DeKalb County District Attorney's Office prosecuted the case after being appointed as conflict prosecutor in February 2025.'; 'Cobb County Senior Judge Grant Brantley presided over the case'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"},{"locator":"'was sentenced Sept. 2 following an investigation that began in December 2024'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'Nineteen victims gave impact statements at the sentencing hearing in Ellijay, according to the DeKalb County district attorney’s office'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s5"}],"assertion":"The verdict was rendered on 13 August 2026 by a Cobb County senior judge after the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office took the case as conflict prosecutor in February 2025; at the sentencing hearing on 2 September 2026 in Ellijay, 19 victims gave impact statements.","causal_attribution":"Procedural facts as reported by the DA's chain, the sheriff's statement and the AJC."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'At least eight female students were victimized by a vendor allowed access to Gilmer County schools even after students complained that he was taking photos and videos of them in school without their consent.'; 'The girls range from 12 to 17 years old.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s6"},{"locator":"'On Friday, the parents of eight victims filed a lawsuit against'; 'the Pepsi defendants conducted an investigation but later reinstated'; 'caused fear, mental suffering, shame, and humiliation and sustained damages'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s7"},{"locator":"'A civil lawsuit filed in Georgia accuses PepsiCo of negligence, saying the company failed to protect students from a vending machine vendor who photographed middle and high school girls and then used AI tools to alter the images into sexually explicit material.'; 'Pepsi has not yet filed a public response to the negligence claims.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s8"}],"assertion":"The parents of eight female students aged 12 to 17 sued the vendor, Pepsi Beverage Co. and Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution in a suit reported on 28 February 2025, alleging that after students complained he was photographing them at school the companies investigated but reinstated him to the same route including the school, and that his conduct caused the plaintiffs fear, mental suffering, shame and humiliation.","causal_attribution":"Allegations in the civil complaint as reported by the AJC and relayed by PetaPixel (one chain), and restated by USA Herald. The allegations are untested; the companies' response is not reported."}],"effects":[{"label":"ordinary photographs of more than 150 minors, many of them local students, were turned into child sexual abuse material with AI applications, according to prosecutors","claim_id":"c1","direction":"negative"},{"label":"eight student plaintiffs allege fear, mental suffering, shame and humiliation, and that the vendor was returned to their school route after students complained","claim_id":"c3","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/former-georgia-school-vendor-sentenced-for-using-ai-to-make-child-sexual-abuse-material/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (CBS Atlanta, 3 September 2026). Relays the DeKalb County DA's account.","independence_group":"dekalb-da-statement"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2026/09/02/gilmer-county-man-convicted-over-100-counts-sexual-exploitation/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Atlanta News First, 2 September 2026). Attributes each fact to the DA's office.","independence_group":"dekalb-da-statement"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ex-school-vendor-faces-sentencing-ai-child-exploitation-case","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (FOX 5 Atlanta, 31 August 2026, pre-sentencing). States that the information came from a DeKalb County DA press release.","independence_group":"dekalb-da-statement"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://gilmer.fetchyournews.com/2026/09/07/gilmer-county-man-sentenced-to-40-years-in-prison-after-conviction-on-118-child-exploitation-counts/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (FetchYourNews Gilmer, 7 September 2026). Relays the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office statement, a separate official source from the DA.","independence_group":"gilmer-sheriff-statement"},{"id":"s5","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/2026/09/georgia-man-sentenced-to-decades-in-prison-in-ai-child-sex-abuse-materials-case/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, byline dated 2 September 2026; page metadata 3 September 2026). Only the deck and first three paragraphs rendered as readable text; the remainder is scrambled by the publisher's anti-scraping layer and was not used. Cites court records and the DA.","independence_group":"ajc"},{"id":"s6","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/student-victims-of-vendor-accused-of-using-ai-to-turn-their-images-into-porn-file-lawsuit/D6UEXAAHRFE67OXBIQCW77IHPY/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (AJC, 28 February 2025). Deck and first two paragraphs readable; the remainder scrambled by the publisher and not used. Reports the civil complaint.","independence_group":"civil-complaint-ajc"},{"id":"s7","url":"https://petapixel.com/2025/03/05/students-sue-pepsi-after-its-vendor-used-ai-to-turn-photos-into-child-porn/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (PetaPixel, 5 March 2025). Relays the AJC's report of the complaint with direct complaint quotations; same chain as s6.","independence_group":"civil-complaint-ajc"},{"id":"s8","url":"https://usaherald.com/georgia-parents-sue-pepsi-after-vending-machine-worker-used-ai-to-make-child-abuse-images-of-their-children/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-27 (USA Herald, 26 September 2026). A legal-news write-up drawing on CBS Atlanta and other Georgia outlets; gives no court, filing date or case number for the suit.","independence_group":"usaherald"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["others_use"],"contexts":["education","privacy","justice"],"unknowns":["When the photographs were taken and altered; the known dated events are the student's report in December 2024 and the arrest in January 2025.","Which AI applications or bots were used.","How many of the more than 150 victims were depicted in AI-altered images rather than other material, and how many of the 118 counts concern AI-altered images.","The court, case number and current status of the civil suit, and whether USA Herald's 26 September 2026 article describes the February 2025 suit or a later filing.","Pepsi's response to the negligence allegations.","Which other states the victims live in."],"geography":{"basis":"The school, the report, the arrest and the sentencing are in Gilmer County, Georgia (FOX 5: sentencing scheduled 'at the Gilmer County Courthouse in Ellijay'; AJC: 'the sentencing hearing in Ellijay'); prosecutors say victims were 'from Georgia and other states' (the other states are not named); the civil suit is described as filed in Georgia (USA Herald).","court_countries":["US"],"event_countries":["US"],"affected_person_countries":["US"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a core case (AI-generated sexual depictions of real children): the prosecuting DA's account, the AJC and the sheriff's statement describe AI-altered child sexual abuse material made from students' photographs, and the conviction and sentence are reported by separate official chains. The civil allegations against the Pepsi entities are reported as untested allegations. Children and the convicted vendor are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-27"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"The prosecuting DeKalb County District Attorney's Office says the vendor uploaded photographs of minors to online applications and bots and used AI applications to alter them into sexually explicit images (via FOX 5 Atlanta and Atlanta News First); the AJC and CBS Atlanta report the same, and the Gilmer County sheriff's separate statement refers to digitally altered or AI-generated material. He was convicted on 118 counts; the bodies do not say how many counts concerned AI-altered images, and the tools are not named.","status":"supported"},"person_relations":["depicted_or_impersonated"]},"name":"Gilmer County, Georgia: a vendor who restocked drink machines in local schools used AI applications to turn ordinary photographs of students into child sexual abuse material; prosecutors identified more than 150 underage victims, he was convicted on 118 counts and sentenced on 2 September 2026 to 40 years in prison, and parents of eight students sued Pepsi entities for keeping him on the school route","summary":"According to the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, which prosecuted the case as conflict prosecutor, the investigation began in December 2024 when a Gilmer High School student told a school resource officer that a vendor who refilled drink machines on campus had asked her through a social media app to send him pictures. The Gilmer County Sheriff's Office arrested him in January 2025 and searched his devices, car and home. Prosecutors say he downloaded photographs of minors from social media and used AI applications and bots to alter them so the children appeared nude or engaged in sexual activity, and that the material related to more than 150 underage victims in Georgia and other states, many of them Gilmer County students. A Cobb County senior judge found him guilty on 13 August 2026 of 118 counts of sexual exploitation of children and on 2 September 2026, after 19 victim impact statements, sentenced him to 60 years with 40 to serve in prison. Separately, the parents of eight female students aged 12 to 17 sued him, Pepsi Beverage Co. and Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution in a suit reported on 28 February 2025, alleging the companies reinstated him to the same school route after students complained that he was photographing them; USA Herald reported the negligence suit again on 26 September 2026 and said Pepsi had not yet responded publicly. The AI tools are not named and the court and status of the civil suit are not reported.","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"unknown","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2025-02-28","aiSystem":"Unnamed AI applications and online bots used to alter photographs of minors taken from social media (DeKalb County District Attorney's Office via FOX 5 Atlanta and Atlanta News First); the tools are not identified","aiProduct":"Unidentified image tool","severity":"high","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["exploitation_or_abuse","psychological_distress"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"Prosecutors say photographs of more than 150 minors were turned into child sexual abuse material with AI applications (DeKalb County DA via FOX 5, Atlanta News First and CBS Atlanta; AJC); the civil complaint, as reported by the AJC and PetaPixel, alleges the conduct caused eight student plaintiffs fear, mental suffering, shame and humiliation.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":150,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"Prosecutors say investigators identified 'more than 150 underage victims' (FOX 5 Atlanta, from the DA press release; AJC: 'more than 150 victims'). The explicit lower bound supports a minimum of 150. The eight civil plaintiffs are among the students; how many of the 150 were depicted in AI-altered rather than other images is not reported.","victimAgeRange":"minor","jurisdiction":"US-GA","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"criminal_charges","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/former-georgia-school-vendor-sentenced-for-using-ai-to-make-child-sexual-abuse-material/","primarySourceLabel":"CBS Atlanta, 3 September 2026: Former Georgia school vendor sentenced for using AI to make child sexual abuse material","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-27T03:39:37.494001+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:37.519889+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["deepfakes","csam","minors","school","vendor","georgia","gilmer-county","criminal-conviction","lawsuit","depicted-or-impersonated"]},{"id":"2026-delhi-police-facial-recognition-jantar-mantar-list-25-in-jail","caseFacts":{"claims":[{"id":"c1","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'According to the police affidavit submitted on August 17, its FRS identified individuals with criminal records at the protest site'; 'It said that 2,402 people were identified by the Delhi Police'; 'and 471 through criminal records.'; 'No actions are taken solely based upon the result of the facial recognition system which is only the first step to identify a person in the crowd who has a criminal record.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'According to the Delhi Police affidavit, 2,402 people were identified through its biometric database, Crime Kundli, while another 471 were identified through criminal records.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'The Delhi Police's affidavit of August 17, 2026 told the Supreme Court that 2,873 persons with criminal records had been spotted by the FRS at the protest site.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"In an affidavit of 17 August 2026 before the Supreme Court, Delhi Police said its Facial Recognition System had identified 2,873 people with criminal antecedents at the Jantar Mantar protest site between 20 and 26 July 2026, 2,402 through its 'Crime Kundli' biometric database and 471 through criminal records, and that no action is taken solely on an FRS result before field verification.","causal_attribution":"The affidavit as quoted by The Indian Express and relayed by Outlook and IFF; not inspected directly."},{"id":"c2","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'An investigation of those with serious charges, murder, attempted murder and rape, and child abuse, shows that at least 25 people on the list, identified by the Facial Recognition System (FRS) at Jantar Mantar, were in jail as per police, jail and court records.'; 'In this group, 17 faced charges of murder; four of rape, including two in POCSO cases; and four more of attempt to murder were lodged in Delhi'; 'Court and jail records for all 25 show custody dates precede the protest'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'At least 25 of the 2,873 people identified by Delhi Police'; 'were already in jail when they were flagged, an investigation of police, prison and court records by The Indian Express has found.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s2"},{"locator":"'Three were \"identified\" on July 24, twenty-one on July 25 and one on July 26, each with a timestamp.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"At least 25 of the 205 listed people facing murder, rape, POCSO or attempted-murder charges were in Tihar, Mandoli or Rohini jails when the FRS logged them at Jantar Mantar (17 murder, four rape of which the Express's narrative counts two and its itemised list three as POCSO cases, four attempted murder), with timestamps on 24, 25 and 26 July 2026 and custody dates that in some cases precede the protest by years.","causal_attribution":"The Indian Express's own check of police, prison and court records (one chain, relayed by Outlook and IFF); the Delhi Police response did not address the 25 cases."},{"id":"c3","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'On Tuesday, when the Supreme Court quashed all FIRs related to the exam leak protests by students, it let the government proceed against the 2,873 people who the Delhi Police claimed had criminal records'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'Delhi Police was given permission to register one fresh FIR concerning 2,873 people alleged to have serious criminal antecedents and initially reported to have been present at Jantar Mantar.'; 'The Court did not find that the 2,873 were present, had qualifying criminal records or committed violence.'; 'the order prescribed no method or express requirement that checks precede arrest or other action'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s4"},{"locator":"'On September 1, 2026, a Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, invoking Article 142, quashed all FIRs registered against students who participated in the July protests'; 'while directing that this should not prejudice their rights and that they must be given every opportunity to defend themselves'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"On 1 September 2026 the Supreme Court quashed the FIRs against the student protesters but permitted Delhi Police to register a fresh FIR concerning the 2,873 persons with alleged serious antecedents, directing that this should not prejudice their rights, and without a finding that they were present; the undertaking that action would follow field verification is the police's own, and The Federal notes the order prescribed no such requirement.","causal_attribution":"The order as described by the three outlets; not inspected directly."},{"id":"c4","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'Responding on Monday to a questionnaire from the Express, the Delhi Police said:'; 'During the protests, 2873 individuals identified as prima facie having criminal antecedents were spotted. However, further verification in this regard is pending.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'In its response to the Express, the Delhi Police did not address the 25 cases'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Responding to The Indian Express, Delhi Police said the 2,873 individuals had been spotted as prima facie having criminal antecedents and that further verification was pending; the response did not address the 25 cases.","causal_attribution":"Police statement as quoted by the Express."},{"id":"c5","status":"reported","evidence":[{"locator":"'In response to a Right to Information (RTI) request in 2022, the police had revealed that it considered a match to be'; 'if its system showed an accuracy rate of 80 per cent.'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s1"},{"locator":"'the Delhi Police disclosed that it treats any match with a similarity score above 80% as \"positive\"'; 'extracted in 2022 only after a Second Appeal before the Central Information Commission'","relation":"supports","source_id":"s3"}],"assertion":"Delhi Police disclosed in 2022, in reply to Right to Information requests, that it treats a facial-recognition match with an 80 per cent similarity or accuracy score as positive.","causal_attribution":"Delhi Police's 2022 RTI replies as described by IFF, which obtained them, and by The Indian Express, which IFF says relies on the same disclosures; one chain. The reply itself was not inspected. IE describes the threshold as an accuracy rate of 80 per cent and IFF as a similarity score above 80 per cent."}],"effects":[{"label":"at least 25 people in judicial custody were logged by the police facial-recognition system as present at a protest and listed in a sworn affidavit of persons with criminal antecedents against whom a fresh FIR and field verification were permitted","claim_id":"c2","direction":"negative"}],"sources":[{"id":"s1","url":"https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/delhi-police-facial-recognition-jantar-mantar-protest-accused-in-jail-10862099/","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read on 2026-09-24 from an Internet Archive capture of 15 September 2026 (web.archive.org/web/20260915075622id_/...); the live page returns 403 to this host. Express Investigation of 4 September 2026 with the list of the 25 and the police response.","independence_group":"indian-express-investigation"},{"id":"s2","url":"https://www.outlookindia.com/national/jantar-mantar-protest-25-people-flagged-by-facial-recognition-were-in-jail-records-show","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-24 (Outlook India, 4 September 2026): relays the Express findings and the affidavit figures; same chain.","independence_group":"indian-express-investigation"},{"id":"s3","url":"https://internetfreedom.in/delhi-polices-facial-recognition-flagged-25-jailed-people-at-jantar-mantar-this-dragnet-must-end/","kind":"other","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-24 (Internet Freedom Foundation, Apar Gupta, 4 September 2026): advocacy analysis that relays the Express findings (same chain for the 25) and adds IFF's own 2022 RTI replies on the 80 per cent threshold, its 24 July 2026 representation and RTI applications.","independence_group":"iff-own-rti"},{"id":"s4","url":"https://thefederal.com/the-federal-special/one-protest-two-probes-why-the-2873-person-fir-raises-questions-255688","kind":"news_report","access":"read","language":"en","translation_note":"Read live on 2026-09-24 (The Federal, 4 September 2026): analysis of the Supreme Court order and the affidavit relying on the Express report; same chain.","independence_group":"indian-express-investigation"}],"version":1,"ai_roles":["institutional_use"],"contexts":["justice","public_services","privacy"],"unknowns":["Whether any of the 25 has been named in the fresh FIR, visited for field verification or otherwise acted against.","Whether the 25 (or the other 2,848 listed people) have been told they are on the list.","How many of the remaining 2,668 entries would fail the same check; the Express examined only the 205 most serious.","The vendor, algorithm and threshold actually applied at Jantar Mantar in July 2026.","The full text of the 17 August affidavit and the 1 September order (described as quoted).","Whether two or three of the four rape accused are POCSO cases: The Indian Express's narrative says two, its itemised list says three.","The protest window: The Indian Express and Outlook give 20 to 26 July; The Federal gives 20 to 25 July."],"geography":{"basis":"The protests and the facial-recognition deployment were at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi; the 25 were in Delhi's Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini prisons; the affidavit and order are in the Supreme Court of India (The Indian Express, IFF, The Federal).","court_countries":["IN"],"event_countries":["IN"],"affected_person_countries":["IN"]},"publication":{"basis":"Published under the 2026-09-15 charter as a contextual case in which an AI system made a consequential claim about identifiable people: a police facial-recognition system placed at least 25 people who were in prison at a protest, on a sworn list that the Supreme Court permitted police to act on. The finding rests on The Indian Express's records investigation (one chain, relayed by Outlook, IFF and The Federal) with the affidavit and order described as quoted; the 80 per cent threshold rests on IFF's 2022 RTI replies, which IFF says the Express also relies on. The listed people are not named.","reviewed_on":"2026-09-24"},"ai_involvement":{"basis":"Delhi Police's own affidavit, as quoted by The Indian Express, attributes the 2,873 identifications to its Facial Recognition System matching faces against the 'Crime Kundli' biometric database and criminal records; the Express's records check shows the system logged at least 25 people who were in custody. The affidavit was not inspected directly.","status":"reported"},"person_relations":["made_claim_about"]},"name":"Delhi: the police facial-recognition system logged at least 25 people who were in Tihar, Mandoli or Rohini jails as present at the Jantar Mantar student protests (20 to 26 July 2026), with timestamps on 24 to 26 July, on a sworn list of 2,873 persons with 'criminal antecedents' that the Supreme Court allowed police to register a fresh FIR against (Indian Express investigation, 4 September 2026)","summary":"In an affidavit of 17 August 2026 before the Supreme Court of India, Delhi Police said its Facial Recognition System (FRS) had identified 2,873 people with criminal antecedents at the Jantar Mantar protests of 20 to 26 July 2026 (2,402 through its 'Crime Kundli' biometric database and 471 through other criminal records). On 1 September the Court quashed the FIRs against the student protesters but let the police proceed against the 2,873; the police say any action will follow field verification. The Indian Express checked the 205 listed people facing murder, attempted-murder, rape or child-sexual-offence charges against police, prison and court records and found that at least 25 of them (17 accused of murder, four of rape (two or three under POCSO; the Express's narrative and its list differ), four of attempted murder) were lodged in Delhi's Tihar, Mandoli or Rohini prisons when the system logged them at the protest site with timestamps on 24, 25 and 26 July; some had been in custody for years. Delhi Police told the newspaper that further verification of the 2,873 was pending and, in its affidavit, that no action is taken solely on a facial-recognition result and that field verification follows each match. The police disclosed in 2022, in reply to a Right to Information request, that it treats a match with an 80 per cent similarity score as positive. Whether any of the 25 has since been named in the fresh FIR or visited for verification is not reported.","incidentDate":"2026-07-24","incidentEndDate":"2026-07-26","incidentKind":"bounded_series","incidentDatePrecision":"range","exposurePattern":"unknown","reportedDate":"2026-09-04","aiSystem":"Delhi Police Facial Recognition System (FRS): face-matching software run on protest footage against the police 'Crime Kundli' biometric database and other criminal records; the vendor and algorithm are not identified in the inspected reporting","aiProduct":"Unidentified facial recognition system","severity":"medium","verificationStatus":"credible","harmCategories":[],"harmOutcomes":["legal_harm"],"harmOutcomeSummary":"At least 25 people in judicial custody were recorded by the police facial-recognition system as present at a protest they could not have attended and were placed, in a sworn affidavit before the Supreme Court, on a list of 2,873 persons with criminal antecedents against whom the Court permitted a fresh FIR and police field verification; The Indian Express reports the misidentifications and the Internet Freedom Foundation describes the exposure to verification visits and prosecution as the harm. No arrest, FIR entry or verification visit of any of the 25 is reported in the inspected sources.","frameworkFacets":[],"causationStatus":"supported","participantUsersAffectedMin":0,"otherPeopleHarmedMin":25,"affectedCountStatus":"documented_minimum","affectedCountEvidence":"The Indian Express states 'at least 25 people on the list' were in jail when logged, and lists them (17 murder, four rape, four attempted murder). The other 2,668 entries were not checked, so the count is a documented minimum of 25.","victimAgeRange":"adult","jurisdiction":"IN","platformType":"other","outcomeType":"investigation_opened","outcomeStatus":"ongoing","primarySourceUrl":"https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/delhi-police-facial-recognition-jantar-mantar-protest-accused-in-jail-10862099/","primarySourceLabel":"The Indian Express, 4 September 2026: Police say cameras 'caught' murder, rape accused at CJP protest - some were actually in jail (Express Investigation)","firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-24T03:46:45.247544+00:00","updatedAt":"2026-09-30T01:17:35.08761+00:00","scopeVersion":"facts-v3","tags":["facial-recognition","india","delhi","protest-surveillance","supreme-court","police","false-match","made-claim-about","jantar-mantar"]}]}