Families Sue Meta Over Millions of Photos Used for AI and Face Recognition
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Sep 11
Families Sue Meta Over Millions of Photos Used for AI and Face Recognition
2 articles · Updated · WIRED · Sep 11
Summary
A proposed class action filed in Chicago last week accuses Meta of using Facebook and Instagram photos without consent to build the unreleased NameTag smart-glasses system and train Emu and Muse Image.
Illinois and California plaintiffs say Meta extracted biometric data from images of adults and children, potentially affecting millions of people whose photos were uploaded or submitted to Meta systems since Sept. 4, 2021.
The complaint leans on WIRED’s June report that NameTag code sat inside Meta’s glasses app—downloaded more than 50 million times—and could turn faces into biometric signatures matched against faceprints updated by Meta.
Meta called the suit meritless, said no NameTag product has shipped and no final decision has been made, while again denying it is building a universal face database.
The case revives scrutiny of Meta’s biometric practices after a $650 million Illinois settlement in 2020, a 2021 shutdown of an earlier face-recognition system, and a $1.4 billion Texas settlement in 2024.