Indie Game Platform Itch.io Claims Its Domain Was Taken Down Over ‘Fraudulent AI-Driven’ Phishing Report

Indie game platform Itch.io faced an unexpected disruption early Monday when its domain was temporarily taken offline, the result of what it described as a “false phishing report.” The report was filed by BrandShield, a brand protection company, on behalf of Funko, the popular maker of pop culture collectibles, leading to a brief service outage.

Itch.io, known for its developer-friendly revenue-sharing model, allows creators to set their own commission rates, even offering the possibility of keeping 100% of their earnings. This flexibility contrasts sharply with other platforms like Steam, which typically charges a 30% commission on sales.

In a tweet, Itch.io expressed frustration, blaming the disruption on “some trash 'AI-powered' brand protection software” used by Funko. A representative from Itch.io later clarified that the issue wasn’t due to any ill intent from Funko but rather a misstep by BrandShield’s automated system, which mistakenly flagged legitimate content. Rather than following the usual DMCA process, which would allow Itch.io to address any alleged infringement without taking down the domain, BrandShield directly submitted “fraud and phishing” reports to the domain registrar and hosting service, leading to the temporary suspension.

While BrandShield maintained that its AI system accurately identified a potential threat, Itch.io quickly restored its service. The site itself had never fully gone offline, only the domain was affected.

BrandShield issued a statement defending its platform, saying: “Our AI-driven system detects potential risks and provides analysis, and in this instance, abuse was identified.” However, they emphasized that the final decision to disable the domain was made by service providers, not BrandShield.

This incident highlights the risks of relying too heavily on automated systems for crucial tasks like brand protection. While AI offers efficiency and speed, it also carries the potential for errors that can disrupt the operations of legitimate businesses.

Itch.io’s experience underscores the importance of combining AI with human oversight. While automated systems can flag potential issues, human judgment is essential to verify the accuracy of these alerts and ensure that appropriate action is taken. Without this balance, platforms can suffer significant setbacks, harming their operations and reputations.