Meta is facing a fresh lawsuit over allegations that it used users’ photos from Facebook and Instagram to develop facial recognition technology for its AI-powered glasses without obtaining their consent.
The case was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by parents and their children from Illinois and California. The 66-page complaint alleges that Meta used images from its platforms for an unreleased system called NameTag, while also using biometric information to train generative AI models.
Lawsuit centres on NameTag
NameTag was developed for Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses and is linked to the Meta AI companion app. The system came under scrutiny after WIRED reported in June that inactive code for NameTag had been found in the Meta AI app.
According to analysts cited in the report, the technology was designed to turn faces captured through the glasses into biometric signatures, or faceprints, and compare them with other faceprints stored on the wearer’s phone.
The lawsuit alleges that Meta’s plans went further, claiming that images from Facebook and Instagram may have been used to help identify people captured by the glasses.
"In other words, NameTag would work by collecting images of faces from user-generated content on Meta's platforms (including Facebook and Instagram), using those images to create biometric identifiers and information associated with those users, storing the biometric identifiers on Meta's servers, and then providing them to NameTag so that they could be used by NameTag to identify people recorded by the company's Meta Glasses," the lawsuit notes.
The complaint also cites two Meta employees who allegedly said NameTag could identify people using their public Instagram accounts or connections.
AI models also named in complaint
The lawsuit further claims that Meta used biometric information obtained from images to train its generative AI systems, including Emu and Muse Image.
The proposed class includes people in Illinois, California and elsewhere in the US who uploaded images to Meta’s platforms or provided data to its generative AI systems since September 2021. The complaint estimates that the national class could include millions of people.
Meta rejects allegations
Meta has dismissed the lawsuit, with a spokesperson telling WIRED that it was a “misrepresentation” of the company’s work.
"As for NameTags, nothing has shipped to consumers and no final decision has been made on what to do here, if anything."
The case comes as Meta continues to develop AI features for its smart glasses and other products, while questions over the use of personal data and images in AI systems remain at the centre of legal disputes.