A new lawsuit claims that Google’s AI wrongly disclosed private data of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims.
There are new legal challenges for Google as an Epstein victim has filed a class action against the leading search engine, alleging that its AI Mode improperly published personal details of sex trafficking victims.
The issue arose from the DOJ, which faced problems with the Epstein files release under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Many redactions were inadequate, protecting alleged perpetrators while exposing victims’ identities.
Though the DOJ has removed the information, Google’s AI still accessed and hosts this sensitive data.
“Even after the government recognized the rights breach and withdrew the information, entities like Google continue to republish it, ignoring victims’ requests for removal,” the suit claims.
Google not only allegedly refused to remove sensitive data, including names and contacts associated with Epstein, but the AI supposedly generated a link enabling direct emails to the Plaintiff.
Other AI companies reportedly did not disclose victim information: ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity provided no related data in tests.
This suit follows a jury’s decision in Los Angeles against Meta and Google-owned YouTube for creating addictive, harmful products, prioritizing engagement over user health.
Google hasn’t commented on the lawsuit, but the trial’s outcome could set significant privacy precedents in the AI era.