A woman claiming to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein has filed a lawsuit against the US government and Google for failing to protect her and other victims’ identities. The lawsuit alleges the Department of Justice unlawfully disclosed the personal identifying information of victims and that Google’s AI tools actively weaponised that data by making it ‘permanently and globally accessible’.
What does the lawsuit allege?
The lawsuit claims the DOJ released unredacted files between December 2025 and January 2026 that exposed the names, phone numbers, email addresses, and photos of approximately 100 sexual abuse survivors. It further notes that the US government violated the Privacy Act by failing to implement adequate review and redaction procedures.
The lawyers for the woman, who used the pseudonym Jane Doe in a complaint filed at the Northern California federal court, said, “The United States intentionally prioritised volume and speed of public disclosure over the safety and privacy of Epstein survivors, adopting a release now, retract later approach that made unlawful disclosures of victim” personal identifying information “not merely foreseeable, but inevitable.”
The victim alleges that while the government eventually acknowledged its mistake and removed thousands of documents from its website, Google has continued to republish the details and refused the “victim’s pleas to take it down.”
What are the allegations against Google?
The victim alleges that Google, through its AI Mode, continues to index and host information derived from the Epstein files released by the DOJ. The plaintiff alleges that Google’s AI Mode revealed the full names, contact information, and cities of residence when prompted with searches related to Epstein.
“Survivors now face renewed trauma. Strangers call them, email them, threaten their physical safety, and accuse them of conspiring with Epstein when they are, in reality, Epstein’s victims,” the lawsuit notes.
In Jane Doe’s case, Google’s AI Mode allegedly generated a response confirming her association with Epstein and even provided a clickable hypertext link allowing anyone to send a direct email to the survivor.
The lawsuit notes that despite receiving notices regarding the removal of search results connecting them to Epstein, “Google has failed and refuses to remove, de-index, or block access to the offending material.”
The plaintiff also noted that other AI tools that generate content by synthesising online information like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity did not provide any victim-related information.
It notes that Google’s actions have made the personally identifiable information of the Epstein victims “easily discoverable by anyone with internet access, perpetuating the privacy invasion and enabling ongoing harassment, stalking, and reputational harm.”
