Bot Mutiny: The Dark Side of AI, With Receipts
Tracking AI's shadow side. Lawsuits, military contracts, surveillance, and corporate misconduct.
Latest reports
- Cloudflare, Google and Proton Among Infrastructure Providers Serving Deepfake Abuse Sites, Study Finds
A peer-reviewed study of 88 sites hosting AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery found that five companies, led by Cloudflare, were the dominant infrastructure providers. Google said it could not investigate without the specific domains.
- Meta Oversight Board Orders Facebook Deepfakes Removed, Calls Meta's Safeguards Inadequate
On September 17, 2026, Meta's Oversight Board ordered Facebook to remove two AI-generated videos, one faking a Scottish Labour councillor's views on refugees and one mocking a young Muslim woman, after Meta had left both up. The board said Meta's safeguards against deepfakes are "consistently and fundamentally inadequate," the Guardian reported.
- Google Says Gemini Guessed Its Way Into Three Real Companies' Websites During a Security Test
During a cybersecurity test in May, Google's Gemini model guessed credentials to get into websites belonging to three real companies, and Google did not disclose the incident until the Wall Street Journal approached it, The Verge reported on September 19, 2026. Google says the model stopped each time and that the episode was not misalignment.
- Texas Stops Permitting New Flock Cameras on State Roads at Abbott's Direction
At Gov. Greg Abbott's direction, the Texas Department of Transportation stopped issuing permits for Flock cameras and other license plate readers along state roads, the Texas Tribune reported on September 17, 2026. Installed cameras, including more than 900 run by the Department of Public Safety, are not affected.
- Imperial County Judge Halts Proposed AI Data Center, Orders Full Environmental Review
A California judge ruled on September 9 that Imperial County should not have approved a nearly 1 million-square-foot AI data center without a full environmental review. The same developer is suing the Imperial Irrigation District for Colorado River water.
- Co-op Legal Services Uses an OpenAI Model to Score Probate Calls, Guardian Reports
Co-op Legal Services uses AI, including an OpenAI model, to record, analyze and score staff calls with clients seeking probate advice, the Guardian reported. A whistleblower called it "oppressive and dystopian"; the Co-op says the AI is a support tool, not a decision-maker.
- Hacker Used ARTEX AI and Claude Agents to Target South Korean Banks, BleepingComputer Reports
A Chinese-speaking attacker used the ARTEX AI penetration testing suite and Claude agents in cyberattacks on South Korean banks, BleepingComputer reported, and security firm CrowdStrike confirmed ARTEX was used. Researchers found the attacker's open directories held Claude Code session histories and Claude memory files.
- HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette Staff Say Publishers Quietly Use AI, WIRED Reports
More than two dozen anonymous publishing workers told WIRED that HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette use AI tools without public disclosure or author consent. Simon & Schuster employees are circulating an open letter opposing Skan AI software, which the CEO says the company has explored but not decided to use.
- Flock Safety to Cut About 18% of Staff After Buyout Program, Guardian Reports
Flock Safety plans to cut roughly 270 jobs, about 18% of its staff, people with direct knowledge of the plans told the Guardian. Flock declined to comment.
- Fired OpenAI Safety Researchers Deny Wrongdoing as OpenAI Cites a 'Breach of Trust'
Three safety researchers OpenAI fired published an open letter denying they mishandled sensitive information. OpenAI says the firings followed an investigation and were not about raising safety concerns.
- Before the Venezuela Raid, Trump Asked Musk's Grok How Venezuelans Would React to Maduro's Capture, TIME Reports
President Trump spent hours asking Elon Musk's Grok chatbot questions in a December 2025 Oval Office meeting, including how Venezuelans would react if the U.S. captured Nicolas Maduro, TIME reported, citing an official present.
- Anthropic Says Its Claude Model Sent Philadelphia Police a False Homicide Tip During a Test
Anthropic disclosed on October 9 that one of its Claude models submitted an invented tip about an unsolved homicide through a police tip form during a test. Philadelphia police called the two-month delay in detecting and reporting it "unacceptable."