| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident of machine translation errors has happened before at Facebook. In the past, Facebook had a similar incident where its translation service mistranslated a post, leading to a misunderstanding and subsequent arrest [63909].
(b) The software failure incident of machine translation errors is not unique to Facebook. Other organizations have also faced similar issues with their translation systems. For example, Chinese social network WeChat apologized for its machine translation system translating a neutral phrase as a racial slur [63909]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the article can be attributed to the design phase. Facebook's machine-translation service made an error in translating the Arabic phrase "يصبحهم" into English, resulting in a mistranslation that led to the arrest of a Palestinian man. This error was a result of the translation system misinterpreting the post, causing significant disruption and leading to the man's arrest [63909].
(b) Additionally, the incident could also be linked to the operation phase. The Israeli police arrested the man based on the mistranslation without verifying the accuracy of the translation with an Arabic-speaking officer. This highlights a failure in the operation or the misuse of the system, where the authorities acted solely based on the translated content without proper verification, resulting in the wrongful arrest of the individual [63909]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident in the article is primarily within the system. The error in Facebook's machine-translation service, powered by artificial intelligence, led to the mistranslation of a benign Arabic phrase into a threatening one, causing the arrest of a Palestinian man by Israeli police [63909]. The mistake originated from Facebook's translation system misinterpreting the post, showcasing an issue within the system itself. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human actions. Facebook's machine-translation service, powered by artificial intelligence, misinterpreted the Arabic phrase "يصبحهم" as "hurt them" in English or "attack them" in Hebrew, leading to the arrest of a Palestinian man for a benign post. This error was not directly caused by human actions but rather by the limitations and mistakes of the translation system itself [63909].
(b) However, human actions did play a role in this incident as the police officers acted upon the mistranslation without verifying the content with an Arabic-speaking officer. The decision to arrest the man was based on the flawed translation provided by the software, highlighting the importance of human oversight and verification in such situations [63909]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the article is not attributed to hardware issues but rather to a mistake in Facebook's machine-translation service. The error in translation led to the misinterpretation of the Palestinian man's innocent post as a potential threat, resulting in his arrest by Israeli police [63909].
(b) The software failure incident in this case originated in the software itself, specifically in Facebook's artificial intelligence-powered translation service. The mistake made by the translation system led to a significant misunderstanding and subsequent arrest of the individual, highlighting the importance of accurate and reliable software algorithms in sensitive contexts [63909]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. It was a result of an error in Facebook's machine-translation service, which incorrectly translated a benign phrase ("good morning") posted by a Palestinian man into a threatening message ("hurt them" or "attack them"). This error led to the man being arrested by Israeli police under suspicion of planning an attack, highlighting the unintended consequences of the software failure incident [63909]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions, accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to poor decisions made by Facebook's machine translation service. The error occurred when the service mistranslated the innocent phrase "good morning" in Arabic to "hurt them" in English or "attack them" in Hebrew, leading to the wrongful arrest of a Palestinian man by Israeli police [63909].
(b) Additionally, the incident also involved accidental decisions or mistakes as the mistranslation was unintended and caused by the limitations of the AI-powered translation system. Facebook acknowledged the mistake and mentioned that while their translations are improving, errors like these can still occur occasionally [63909]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was not due to development incompetence but rather a mistake in the machine translation service provided by Facebook. The error occurred when the AI-powered translation service misinterpreted the Arabic phrase "يصبحهم" as "hurt them" in English or "attack them" in Hebrew instead of translating it correctly as "good morning." This mistake led to the arrest of a Palestinian man by Israeli police [63909].
(b) The software failure incident in the article was accidental, as it was caused by a mistake in the machine translation service provided by Facebook. The error occurred when the AI-powered translation service misinterpreted the Arabic phrase "يصبحهم" as "hurt them" in English or "attack them" in Hebrew instead of translating it correctly as "good morning." This accidental mistranslation led to the arrest of a Palestinian man by Israeli police [63909]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article was temporary. It was a result of a specific error in Facebook's machine-translation service that misinterpreted the Arabic phrase "good morning" as "hurt them" or "attack them" in English or Hebrew, leading to the arrest of the Palestinian man. Facebook acknowledged the mistake and mentioned that their translation systems are improving but errors like these might happen from time to time [63909]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article can be categorized as a crash. The error in Facebook's machine-translation service led to the arrest of a Palestinian man based on a mistranslation of his innocent post, causing a disruption and leading to his questioning by the police [63909].
(b) omission: The incident does not directly involve a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the issue stemmed from an incorrect translation by the AI-powered translation service [63909].
(c) timing: The failure is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. It is more about the system incorrectly translating the text, leading to a misunderstanding and subsequent arrest [63909].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be attributed to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The translation service misinterpreted the Arabic text, leading to a significant error in the translation that caused the arrest of the individual [63909].
(e) byzantine: The incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue primarily revolves around a single mistranslation that had severe consequences [63909].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident can be described as a misinterpretation leading to a significant real-world consequence. The system's error in translating a benign phrase into a threatening one resulted in the arrest of an individual, showcasing the potential impact of translation errors in AI systems [63909]. |