Ousmane Bah, a New York teen has sued Apple for USD 1 Billion after a case of mistaken identity courtesy of Apple’s facial recognition software. The lawsuit, filed this Monday, claims that Mr. Bah’s driver’s permit (which did not have a photo of his face), was stolen, and was then used by the thief to attempt theft of $1,200 worth of Apple products from a Boston, Massachusetts Apple store.
Mr Bah insists that upon capture, the thief falsely identified themselves as Bah, afterwhich Apple took his photo and attached it wrongly to Bah’s information in a security system. This led to Bah’s repeated false incrimination whenever the thief committed more thefts.
The lawsuit also asserts that Mr. Bah had never been to Boston, let alone on the day of the crime, as he was attending his prom in New York.
On the morning of 4 a.m on November 29, Mr Bah was ambushed and arrested by police officers at his home. He however was released when a detective realized he did not remotely resemble the man in the footage of the theft.
In a statement to Engadget, an Apple spokesperson claimed Apple doesn’t use facial recognition in its various store locations.
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The lawsuit goes on to state that Bah’s college education has been affected by the wrongful arrest, since he was not able to take his mid terms on said date. He claims he has also had to miss several school days as he has been forced to travel from one state to another responding to the false charges.
The suit reads, “Throughout his entire first year of college, Mr. Bah experienced constant anxiety and fear that he could be arrested at any moment.” It continues to state that Apple was negligent, and intentionally inflicted emotional distress, by defaming and slandering Mr. Bah.
All false charges against Mr. Bah have been dropped in New York, Delaware, and Massachusetts. This leaves New Jersey.
