This is something that I suspect that we’ll see more of in the coming months and years. CTV News is reporting that a chatbot that Air Canada uses handed out incorrect information to a man in regards to bereavement rates:
Jake Moffatt was booking a flight to Toronto and asked the bot about the airline’s bereavement rates – reduced fares provided in the event someone needs to travel due to the death of an immediate family member.
Moffatt said he was told that these fares could be claimed retroactively by completing a refund application within 90 days of the date the ticket was issued, and submitted a screenshot of his conversation with the bot as evidence supporting this claim.
He submitted his request, accompanied by his grandmother’s death certificate, in November of 2022 – less than a week after he purchased his ticket. But his application was denied and the tribunal decision said emails submitted as evidence showed that Moffatt’s attempts to receive a partial refund continued for another two-and-a-half months.
The airline refused the refund because it said its policy was that bereavement fare could not, in fact, be claimed retroactively.
In February of 2023, Moffatt sent the airline a screenshot of his conversation with the chatbot and received a response in which Air Canada “admitted the chatbot had provided ‘misleading words.'”
But Moffatt was still unable to get a partial refund, prompting him to file the claim with the tribunal.
Air Canada for its’ part said that the company could not be held responsible for what the chatbot said because the chatbot is a separate entity from Air Canada.
Yeah. They really said that. Here’s how that went down:
Air Canada, for its part, argued that it could not be held liable for information provided by the bot.
“In effect, Air Canada suggests the chatbot is a separate legal entity that is responsible for its own actions. This is a remarkable submission. While a chatbot has an interactive component, it is still just a part of Air Canada’s website,” [tribunal member Christopher C. ] Rivers wrote.
“It should be obvious to Air Canada that it is responsible for all the information on its website. It makes no difference whether the information comes from a static page or a chatbot.”
The airline also argued that the chatbot’s response to Moffatt’s inquiry included a link to a section of its website that outlined the company’s policy and said that requests for a discounted fare are not allowed after someone has travelled.
Rivers rejected this argument as well.
Air Canada has been ordered to pay $650.88 in damages. In addition, the airline was ordered to pay $36.14 in pre-judgment interest and $125 in fees.
Now Air Canada’s argument is at best laughable, and at worst a desperate attempt to cover up the fact that their chatbot wasn’t properly set up to deliver accurate information 100% of the time. And while the story doesn’t say this, I suspect that the reason he went the chatbot route is that it is nearly impossible to get an actual human being on the phone over at Air Canada. At least, that’s been my experience over the last few years when I’ve needed to call them. Perhaps Air Canada should invest not in chatbots, but actual human beings that are properly trained and properly equipped to help customers 100% of the time and quickly? Just a thought.
The US Is Offering Up Big Money To Capture ALPHV/Blackcat
Posted in Commentary with tags Security on February 15, 2024 by itnerdThe United States has clearly had enough of the ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware gang. I say that because the U.S. State Department offering rewards of up to $15 million for information that could lead to the identification or location of ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware gang leaders:
The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of up to $10,000,000 for information leading to the identification or location of any individual(s) who hold a key leadership position in the Transnational Organized Crime group behind the ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware variant. In addition, a reward offer of up to $5,000,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction in any country of any individual conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in ALPHV/Blackcat ransomware activities.
On December 19, 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI announcement of cooperation with an international group of law enforcement agencies from the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Spain, and Denmark, to conduct a disruption campaign against the notorious ransomware gang ALPHV/Blackcat. FBI identified ALPHV/Blackcat actors as having compromised over 1,000 victim entities in the United States and elsewhere, including prominent government entities (e.g., municipal governments, defense contractors, and critical infrastructure organizations). To date, the FBI has worked with dozens of victims in the United States and internationally to disseminate a decryption tool to restore victim systems and prevent ransom demand payments of approximately $99 million.
Shawn Loveland, COO, Resecurity had this to say:
According to Resecurity reporting, BlackCat (ALPHV) has increased its ransom demands to up to $2.5M per victim from the large enterprise segment. This is why the group is well-funded and has a significant number of access brokers and affiliates working for them. In fact, many of their attacks have not been publicly disclosed, which suggests that this figure could be much higher in practice. By offering a $15M reward, the law enforcement community aims to disrupt their activity by collecting intelligence from actors familiar with them, potentially causing “competition” between bad actors and their associates. This is especially relevant in light of recent conflicts, such as Lockbit experiencing a ban from certain Dark Web communities. It is possible that the group could be “burned” due to internal conflicts and other actors leaking data about them.
This is an interesting tactic to try and take this group down. Let’s see how successful this tactic is, or isn’t.
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