An 18-year-old New York student has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Apple and a security firm on Monday. The student says the pair falsely accused him of being involved in a series of store thefts.
The suit says Security Industry Specialists’ in-store facial recognition software, used by Apple in the store in question, falsely identified Ousmane Bah as being involved in a crime in Boston. (Via Bloomberg)
Bah was arrested in his New York home in November in connection with a Boston crime. Bah says he was actually attending his senior prom in Manhattan at the time of the crime.
Bah’s suit claims the arrest warrant used a photo that doesn’t resemble Bah. A thief may have obtained Bah’s lost learner’s permit – one without a photo – and used that as a form of ID at Apple stores. As part of an effort to track down the suspect, a photo of another person’s face may have been incorrectly connected to the permit.
Both Security Industry Specialists and Apple have declined comment.
Apple stores can be an attractive target for thieves, as the store has numerous high-demand devices on display out in the open.
It’s currently unknown whether Apple will fight the lawsuit, or if it will try to settle out of court.
The case is Bah v. Apple Inc., 19-cv-03539, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
