Itch.io Temporarily Taken Offline by AI-Generated Phishing Report

The indie game marketplace blamed Funko and its AI-powered BrandShield software for the erroneous takedown, which disrupted access for several hours.

Itch.io's domain was disabled after an AI-powered phishing report from BrandShield, used by Funko, flagged a subdomain for alleged trademark abuse.
The disputed page, which reportedly referenced a Funko-related game, was removed by Itch.io, but the registrar's automated system still disabled the domain.
The outage lasted several hours, affecting creators and users who rely on the platform, though previously downloaded games remained accessible.
Itch.io criticized both BrandShield's software as unreliable and its registrar, iwantmyname, for not reviewing their response before disabling the domain.
The platform has since been restored, but the incident raises concerns about the overreach and reliability of AI-driven brand protection tools.