this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2026
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AI error jails innocent grandmother for months in North Dakota fraud case (www.grandforksherald.com)
submitted 1 day ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] grue@lemmy.world 72 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Let's not forget about this part:

On Christmas Eve, five days after the interview with Fargo police, the case was dismissed, and she was released from jail.

But, Lipps was now stranded in Fargo.

"I had my summer clothes on, no coat, it was so cold outside, snow on the ground, scared, I wanted out but I didn't know what I was going to do, how I was going to get home," Lipps said.

Fargo police did not cover Angela's expenses to get home after her release from jail. Local defense attorneys gave her money to pay for a hotel room and food on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

This shit was barely one step up from a "starlight tour," and only because she didn't actually die of exposure.

It's sadistic on top of being unjust. The cops need to [redacted].

[–] 1dalm@lemmings.world 10 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Sue the software company for defamation.

[–] Newsteinleo 3 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

There are 4 things that need to be true for a defamation case. The statement must be false. The statement must be presented in away a reasonable person would believe it. The statement must be published for at least one other person to see. The statement must cause harm

The hardest part will be the second condition. The software publisher probably has all kinds of disclaimers in their EULA to cover this one. It also depends on how the software presents the information to the user.

[–] 1dalm@lemmings.world 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

The woman didn't sign a EULA with the vendor.

I would say your three reqs are met.

[–] Newsteinleo 1 points 48 minutes ago

It's not the woman it's the police officer/department that would agree. So, if there is language saying the user knows and understands that the system is not accurate then it becomes harder to go after the developer.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 51 minutes ago* (last edited 47 minutes ago) (1 children)

I find it hard to believe the software gives a yes or no answer. It almost certainly gives some sort of score and it’s up to the human to interpret that.

This is entirely on Fargo police

[–] Newsteinleo 1 points 45 minutes ago

If I was the architect of the system that is how I would do it. However a high enough score could still be sufficient in this case. The system made an assertion that lead to damages even if the assertion was 60% match.

[–] mech@feddit.org 70 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

No, cops jailed her!
AI can't put handcuffs on a person.
It can't even make a decision.
Stop deflecting the blame.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 7 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

vendors certainly deserve a share for convincing cops their shit is flawless.

here's another example, where the cops trusted the casino AI face matching over the guy's own identifications (plural, all kinds of IDs on him and he had a CDL etc.,)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPUBXN2Fd_E

[–] mech@feddit.org 0 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Yes, the vendors share part of the blame.
The AI doesn't.

Edit for clarification: AI can't share any blame. It's a computer program.
The company that makes it is fully responsible for what it does, and the cops are responsible for believing its output over actual proof.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 173 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

What kind of fucking court would accept AI output as evidence, even for probable cause? Where has it ever been validated? What are the documented Type 1 and Type 2 error rates in independent peer-reviewed tests? Where is the output that gives the rationale for why it said there was a match? Because without that, there's no more reason to believe it than a Magic 8-Ball.

And holy shit, she's 50? That's three miles of bad Tennesee road.

[–] eddie@feddit.online 111 points 1 day ago (2 children)

doesn't sound like a court was even involved. per the article, she was held in jail 5 months before even being interviewed by police. that sounds entirely unconstitutional?? how does that even happen? like someone said below, i hope she is able to sue for millions. this is insane

[–] Skankhunt420@sh.itjust.works 45 points 1 day ago

Well its possible because we have a constitutional right to a speedy and quick trial in the united states.

So, since it is a constitutional right they get to shit all over it and do whatever the fuck they want to us anyway.

[–] Bakkoda@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The Constitution has never once showed up to save anyone. People show up to save the constitution. Or they don't.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 8 points 22 hours ago

Or they don't.

Welcome to the current presidency.

[–] wunami@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago

According to the court documents, the Fargo detective working the case then looked at Lipps' social media accounts and Tennessee driver's license photo.

In his charging document, the detective wrote that Lipps appeared to be the suspect based on facial features, body type and hairstyle and color.

Seems like a possibility the detective could have conveniently "forgot" to mention that the initial identification was by AI.

[–] Test_Tickles@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

And holy shit, she's 50? That's three miles of bad Tennesee road.

Alcohol can be rough on the body.

[–] Beep@lemmus.org 21 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

Also this is the best part in the article:

We see that you have javascript disabled. Please enable javascript and refresh the page to continue reading local news. If you feel you have received this message in error, please contact the customer support team at

[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 5 points 15 hours ago

Clown ass country

[–] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 92 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Spoiler, it wasn’t AI but a detective and a failed system abdicating using any thought.

Why did it take 5 months to even interview her? What the fuck it’s happening in US jails.

[–] XLE@piefed.social 57 points 1 day ago

To steal a comment:

[W]e're seeing the first instances of what reality looks like with AI in the hands of the average bear. Just like the excuse was "but the computer said it was correct," now we're just shifting to "but the AI said it was correct."

Don't underestimate how much authority and thinking people will delegate to machines. Not to mention the lengths they'll go to weasel out of taking responsibility for a screw up like this (saw another comment in this thread about the Chief of Police stepping down but it being framed as "retirement").

[–] nucleative@lemmy.world 26 points 1 day ago

Yeah the 5 months thing... That's the difference between having a $400/hour lawyer and no lawyer. The first guy could get you out by 6:00 p.m. on bail. If you have no lawyer, your appointment to be assigned lawyer is scheduled for next month.

[–] db2@lemmy.world 22 points 1 day ago (2 children)

and a failed system abdicating using any thought

So the whole government at this point. Idiocracy was supposed to be funny fiction not depressing reality.

Why did it take 5 months to even interview her? What the fuck it’s happening in US jails.

Money and profits in that order.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 10 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

For the umpteenth fucking time, what's going on in the US today is not "Idiocracy!"

In Idiocracy, the people were stupid, but honest. This is not that. This is malicious, which is worse.

[–] db2@lemmy.world 2 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Give us a better correlation then.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 5 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I suddenly realize you may have thought I was criticizing you, individually. Just so you know, that's not what I intended: I meant it as a general reaction to seeing that comparison made over and over again, and your instance of it just happened to be the one I attached it to.

Sorry about that.

[–] db2@lemmy.world 4 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

That was what I read it as, no worries. I really can't think of a better correlation like that movie though. The stupid people part is key.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 4 points 19 hours ago

Ah, I see how we differ now. I think the key isn't just that they're stupid, but more importantly that they're incurious, mean-spirited, cowardly, and duped by propaganda. And that the leadership is malicious and corrupt, not merely incompetent. As such, I think just about every other dystopia is a better fit than Idiocracy is. 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Star Wars: Andor -- take your pick!

[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 2 points 23 hours ago

Idiocracy is about what happens after the current time when smarter more level headed people are trying to put the pieces back together. We are in the prequel era, things are going to get worse before they get better.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 17 points 21 hours ago

I hope she sues and makes it hurt.

ACAB

[–] alecbowles@feddit.uk 31 points 1 day ago

I’m appalled on how she was treated. I hope that throughout this whole ordeal she met kind people that treated here with decency and humanity.

Also, if that’s how the US treat its own citizens imagine how people being arrested by Trumps immigration police are being treated. Scary times.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 50 points 1 day ago (1 children)

AI is shit.

Facial recognition is shit.

But none of that was really the issue here:

Lipps spent nearly four months in a Tennessee jail without bail - classified as a fugitive, she had no hearing, no interview, nothing. North Dakota officers didn't retrieve her until October 30, 108 days after the arrest. October 31 was her first court appearance and the first time police spoke to her, reports InForum.

Arrested and thrown in jail for 108 days before seeing any sort of judge is a constitutional violation.

We hear about this because it's an obvious wrong case to an old innocent grandma...

But it's not the only time it's happening. And if this happened to her, it can happen to anyone.

A lazy/dumb cop or ICE agent can just declare you're someone they're looking for, and by the time it's settled your life is destroyed.

We can't keep kicking police reform down the road.

We can't settle for moderate politicians who say they'll try on a few issues.

We need politicians who understand that everything is fucked and desperately needs fixed across the board.

[–] Yliaster@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Do politicians still have your faith?

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

This is like asking if you have faith in plumbers..

But no, I don't have "faith" in anyone or anything.

That's why I vote and advocate for others to do so, because lots of informed voters mitigates the threats from bad politicians.

[–] ZombieCyborgFromOuterSpace@piefed.ca 54 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What a bunch of incompetent pigs. I hope she sures for millions. 

[–] Wammityblam@lemmy.world 37 points 1 day ago (1 children)

More money out of our pockets to cover for these useless fucks

[–] billwashere@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago

This is the part that infuriates me. The cops that fucked up will face no repercussions. It’s the tax payers that will foot the bill for this obviously incoming lawsuit and settlement. The solution is clear. Make cops get the equivalent of doctor’s malpractice insurance. Then make the insurance companies pay the settlement. And when the cops insurance payments go up, the cop has to pay. Or stop being a cop because they suck at it. Problem solved.

[–] Damage@feddit.it 27 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Facial recognition software. Whether it's AI or not is debatable.

[–] XLE@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago (3 children)

What's the other side of the debate? CNNs are excellent at facial recognition and they've been around for decades.

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[–] MintyFresh@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Archive It said she lost her home, job and dog. What a bunch of assholes.

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago (4 children)

That particular archive has a nasty habit of changing the content of saved articles, and then hijacking your browser to launch DDoS attacks on people the secretive owner of the archive doesn't like.

[–] Manjushri@piefed.social 5 points 23 hours ago

Damn! Thanks for pointing this out.

Ars Technica article about it

In the course of discussing whether Archive.today should be deprecated because of the DDoS, Wikipedia editors discovered that the archive site altered snapshots of webpages to insert the name of the blogger who was targeted by the DDoS. The alterations were apparently fueled by a grudge against the blogger over a post that described how the Archive.today maintainer hid their identity behind several aliases.

[–] black_flag@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It...what??

[–] VoteNixon2016@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's bad enough that Wikipedia no longer allows linking to pages archived on there, and they're actively working to replace any links already in use

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Archive.today_guidance

[–] black_flag@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago

That's crazy. I'm gonna have to find a self-hosted paywall hopper. 🙄

[–] elmicha@feddit.org 2 points 1 day ago

Keywords that you can put into your favorite search engine: archive.is ddos.

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[–] Zen_Shinobi@lemmy.world 4 points 19 hours ago

Sue baby sue

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