Google GC Explains Lawsuit Targeting AI Scammers

Gizmodo reports that Google filed a lawsuit on November 13, alleging that fake versions of Google’s generative AI tool, Bard, are appearing on phony Facebook ads and stealing social media accounts of U.S. small businesses.

The ads instruct users to download Bard, but there is no legitimate need to download it because it is a web-based product. When users follow the fake instructions, they download malware that steals social media credentials and compromises their accounts.

The lawsuit seeks to disable current domains related to the fake Bard trap, and prevent the fraudsters, said to be located in Vietnam and India, from setting up any more. It is considered the first lawsuit to protect users of a major tech company’s flagship AI product.

In a statement, Google’s General Counsel Halimah DeLaine Prado said the company took legal action against two groups of scammers. “The first sought to exploit public enthusiasm for generative AI to spread malware. The second weaponized the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to harm their business competitors by submitting thousands of blatantly fraudulent copyright notices.”

According to DeLaine Prado. Google blocks more than 100 million phishing attempts every day. She called the lawsuits an effective tool for establishing legal precedent, disrupting scammers’ tools, and making bad actors face consequences. She says that since April the company has filed about 300 takedowns “related to this group of bad actors.

“We are seeking an order to stop the scammers from setting up domains like these,” she says, “and allow us to have them disabled with U.S. domain registrars. If this is successful, it will serve as a deterrent and provide a clear mechanism for preventing similar scams in the future.”