Apple Photos Face Recognition Lawsuit Allowed to Proceed in US

A U.S. judge has permitted a lawsuit seeking up to $32 billion in damages to continue against Apple Inc., alleging that the face‑recognition feature in Apple Photos violates Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The suit claims Apple collects biometric data without consent, a charge Apple disputes.

Apple argues the recognition algorithm runs entirely on the iPhone, never transmitting images to its servers, and that the app merely groups photos of the same person without identifying who that person is. The case is contrasted with a prior Meta (Facebook) lawsuit that settled for $650 million after the company performed face recognition on its servers. The Apple lawsuit has been pending for six years and could have significant financial and privacy implications if the court ultimately finds liability.