Mercor Faces Lawsuits Over Data Breach Exposing Contractor Information
Mercor, an AI startup that supplies training data to companies like OpenAI and Meta, reportedly suffered a third-party data breach exposing contractor information including interviews and facial scans. At least seven class-action lawsuits have been filed alleging the company collected sensitive data improperly, monitored workers' computers, and used recorded interviews to train AI models without disclosure.
What happened
A third-party data breach exposed sensitive information of Mercor contractors, including recorded job interviews, facial scans, and screenshots of workers' private computer screens.
At least seven class-action lawsuits were filed against Mercor following the breach, with plaintiffs alleging the company engaged in practices beyond standard hiring processes.
Reported impact
The lawsuits claim Mercor collected and shared applicant data including background checks with partners in ways that may violate federal regulations.
According to one account cited in the lawsuit, workers were encouraged to use real company data in tasks provided it was slightly altered or anonymised, and faced pushback from reviewers when trying to avoid including sensitive details.
Index analysis
Mercor hires contractors to provide feedback that helps train AI models for companies including OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta.
Plaintiffs allege the company monitored contractors' computers, used recorded candidate interviews to train AI models without proper disclosure, and may have trained client systems on materials owned by other companies.
Governance controls
In a public statement, Mercor disputed the allegations as speculative and said they comply with all relevant laws.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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