Meta Sued Over AI and Face-Recognition Training Data
Meta faces a class action lawsuit over alleged illegal use of user photos for AI training.
"Meta's facing a legal smackdown for allegedly swiping your selfies to train its AI. Your pics, their profit? Not cool."
A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against Meta, alleging the company illegally harvested Facebook and Instagram photos to train its AI image-generation models and an unreleased face-recognition feature called "NameTag." The lawsuit, filed by parents and their children in Illinois and California, claims Meta violated privacy laws by extracting biometric information without consent.
The complaint specifically targets Meta's AI image-generation systems, including Emu and Muse Image, which Meta has stated were trained on large quantities of Facebook and Instagram data. The lawsuit also focuses on "NameTag," an unreleased face-recognition system for smart glasses, for which code was reportedly found embedded in Meta's AI companion app. The plaintiffs allege that faceprints for "NameTag" may be derived from Facebook and Instagram images.
Meta has stated the lawsuit is without merit and misrepresents their work, asserting transparency in their use of information for AI products. The company also clarified that "NameTag" has not shipped to consumers and no final decision has been made regarding its release. The proposed class could include millions of individuals in Illinois, California, and across the United States whose images were uploaded to Meta platforms or submitted to its generative AI systems since September 4, 2021.
This lawsuit highlights growing concerns about data privacy and the ethical implications of AI training. Businesses leveraging user-generated content for AI development should closely monitor legal precedents and ensure robust consent mechanisms are in place to mitigate similar risks.
Relevant tools
Find the right AI tool for your business
Chat with Insta and get matched to the right tool in seconds.
Try Insta Tool Finder →