Meta sued over alleged unauthorized use of user photos for facial recognition

Meta class action lawsuit facial recognition biometric data smart glasses

Meta is facing a proposed class action lawsuit filed in a federal court in Illinois on September 4. The suit, brought by families in Illinois and California, alleges that the company illegally scraped biometric data from Facebook and Instagram photos without proper notice or consent.

The plaintiffs claim this data was used to develop NameTag, an unreleased facial recognition system intended for Meta’s smart glasses, including Ray-Ban and Oakley models. Additionally, the lawsuit asserts that social media images were used to train Meta’s generative AI models, Emu and Muse Image.

Meta has rejected the allegations, calling the lawsuit “without merit” and stating that it “misrepresents our work.” A company spokesperson maintained that Meta is transparent about its use of information for AI development and noted that the NameTag feature has not yet been released to consumers.

Entities

California · Facebook · Illinois · Instagram · Meta · Oakley · Ray-Ban

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 5 SOURCES] Meta rejects the allegations, claiming the lawsuit misrepresents its work. www.lightstalking.com · pplware.sapo.pt · sapo.pt · futurism.com · www.pymnts.com
[● 4 SOURCES] A class action lawsuit was filed on September 4 in a federal court in Illinois. pplware.sapo.pt · sapo.pt · futurism.com · www.pymnts.com
[● 4 SOURCES] Meta asserts it is transparent regarding the use of information for AI product development. pplware.sapo.pt · sapo.pt · futurism.com · www.pymnts.com
[● 5 SOURCES] The collected data was used to develop facial recognition features for Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses. pplware.sapo.pt · sapo.pt · www.lightstalking.com · futurism.com · www.pymnts.com
[● 5 SOURCES] Meta harvested Facebook and Instagram photographs to collect biometric information. www.lightstalking.com · pplware.sapo.pt · sapo.pt · futurism.com · www.pymnts.com
[● 4 SOURCES] Meta used social media images to train the Emu and Muse Image generative AI models. pplware.sapo.pt · sapo.pt · futurism.com · www.pymnts.com
[● 4 SOURCES] The lawsuit was filed by families in Illinois and California. futurism.com · pplware.sapo.pt · www.pymnts.com · sapo.pt
[● 5 SOURCES] Meta states that the NameTag feature has not yet been released to consumers. www.lightstalking.com · pplware.sapo.pt · futurism.com · sapo.pt · www.pymnts.com

Sources

Meta Sued Over Using People's Photos for AI and Facial Recognition [www.lightstalking.com]

7 days ago

Meta acusada de usar fotos do Instagram para desenvolver reconhecimento facial [pplware.sapo.pt]

5 days ago

Meta Is Using Instagram Users' Photos to Build a Universal Facial Recognition System for Its Hated Smart Glasses, Class Action Lawsuit Claims [futurism.com]

6 days ago

Meta Faces Lawsuit Over Smart Glasses Facial Recognition [www.pymnts.com]

6 days ago

Meta acusada de usar fotos do Instagram para desenvolver reconhecimento facial [sapo.pt]

5 days ago