Apple sued for $1 billion after facial recognition mixup led to false arrest

Apple uses advanced facial recognition tech that’s definitely useful when it comes to unlocking your phone, but one New York teen states the company is actually to blame for his false arrest.

As a result, 18-year-old Ousmane Bah, has filed suit against Apple requesting $1 billion for his trouble as a last-ditch effort to, well, save face.

The New York Post reports that, according to Bah, someone used a stolen ID (presumably his) and was caught later on trying to steal around $1,200 in items from an Apple store in Boston. Apparently the ID didn’t include a photo and Apple “took the man at his word” and programmed their “security systems” to recognize the man’s face as Ousmane Bah’s.

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Bah states he was tangled up in busts by the same man in Manhattan, Delaware, and New Jersey. When Bah was arrested for these supposed crimes, investigators eventually determined that the man they saw stealing the Apple items in surveillance footage actually didn’t look anything like Bah to begin with.

Fortunately, for Bah, all charges have been dropped in every state he was accused to be stealing the variety of products in, except New Jersey. The case is still pending there at this time.

Oddly enough, Bah had no idea about the criminal mistake until he received a court summons from Boston municipal court in June – it must have been a bit of a shock for him, we’re sure.

Bah alleges that the iPhone manufacturer utilizes in-store facial recognition software to track customers, which lead to his false arrest. But according to Apple (in a statement to Engadget), the company doesn’t actually utilize facial recognition in its stores.

Apple has yet to respond to any requests for comment on the matter.

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