Man wants billion from Apple after wrongly arrest ‘via facial recognition’

In the United States, an 18-year-old man has filed a lawsuit against Apple, demanding $1 billion from the tech giant. The man may have been wrongly arrested for thefts in Apple Stores, partly thanks to Apple’s facial recognition system.

Ousmane Bah was arrested on November 29 last year after being falsely linked to shoplifting at Apple Stores in Boston, New Jersey, Delaware and Manhattan. Apparently the real perpetrator had his lost or stolen learner’s permit, an identity card for people who still have driving lessons with name, address and other personal details. Because there was no photo on the ID card, the facial recognition system at Apple’s stores may have incorrectly linked Bah’s data to the photo of the real thief, the claim says.

The arrest warrant showed that the perpetrator did not resemble Ousmane Bah at all. For the theft in Boston, where items worth about 1,100 euros were stolen, Bah also had an alibi, according to Bloomberg. He was said to have been in Manhattan at his school’s prom at the time.

To compensate for the false accusations and the ‘stress and hardship’ that this entailed, Bah is now suing Apple for $1 billion, or EUR 889 million. Charges against Bah have since been dropped in three of the four states. Only New Jersey is currently under investigation into his involvement in the theft. Apple itself does not want to comment on the matter, according to Bloomberg.

Update, 9 pm: Apple tells Bloomberg not to use facial recognition in its stores.

Surveillance footage of Fresno Apple Store theft from 2018, unrelated to shoplifting at Apple Stores in Boston, New Jersey, Delaware, and Manhattan.