Customer Alleges Verizon's Use of AI Wrongly Accused Him of Owning Child Porn
Verizon and its cloud storage vendor, Synchronoss Technologies, used AI to monitor and screen Verizon customer William Lawshe's data and incorrectly identified a file in his possession as containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), alleged Lawshe’s Jan. 12 defamation complaint…
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in St. Johns County, Florida, Circuit Court. Verizon on Tuesday removed the complaint (docket 3:24-cv-00137) to U.S. District Court for Middle Florida in Jacksonville. Verizon and Synchronoss knew or should have known that the use of their AI technology “carried the substantial risk of misidentification of content as CSAM,” said the complaint. The file didn’t contain CSAM, yet Verizon and Synchronoss reported it to Florida police as a felony, it said. Verizon and Synchronoss communicated to law enforcement that the St. Augustine, Florida, resident was in possession of an image that depicted the "lascivious exposition" of a "prepubescent minor," it said. The publication of the defamatory statement “was made with actual malice and/or a reckless indifference to the truth of the accusation and a wanton disregard” for Lawshe’s rights, said the complaint. In addition to defamation, Lawshe’s lawsuit alleges violations of the Stored Communications Act. He seeks damages and recovery of attorneys’ fees.