When Apple released its facial recognition feature, people came up with tons of theories about its dangers and possible uses by the government.

According The Washington Post, an 18-year-old New York student has hit Apple with a $1 billion lawsuit after the company’s facial recognition software allegedly led to his false arrest.
Ousmane Bah filed the suit on Monday claiming he was wrongly identified as a thief at one of Apple’s stores in Boston last May, after a man was caught stealing $1,200 worth of Apple merch.

Bah says the man used his learner’s permit (which did not have a photo) to pass himself off as Bah after he was caught stealing. Bah claims he lost his permit and it could have been found or stolen by the thief.

To catch the thief, Apple programmed the man’s face into its security systems using Bah’s information. The man then went on to steal at other Apple locations in New York, New Jersey and Delaware, which led to Bah’s arrest in November 2018.

According to the suit, Bah had never been to Boston and was attending his senior prom in Manhattan on the day authorities said the theft took place.
Bah says the police showed up to his home to arrest him with a photo attached to the arrest warrant that looked nothing like him.

After reviewing surveillance footage from the stores, an NYPD detective determined that Bah had been wrongfully arrested. They dropped the charges against him in New York and Delaware.
Unfortunately, charges against Bah are still pending in New Jersey. He says the allegations against him have cause him severe stress and hardship.

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