Meta Sued Over AI Training Data and Unreleased Face-Recognition Feature
A proposed class action lawsuit filed against Meta alleges that the company illegally harvested photos and videos from Facebook and Instagram users to train its AI image-generation models and to develop an unreleased facial recognition tool internally called "NameTag."
The complaint, filed on September 11, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claims Meta violated users' privacy rights and several state and federal laws—including the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)—by collecting biometric data without obtaining informed consent.
Allegations of Unlawful Data Harvesting
According to the lawsuit, Meta used publicly accessible and private user content—spanning profile pictures, tagged photos, and uploaded videos—to build datasets for training generative AI systems. The suit further alleges that the company leveraged this same data to develop NameTag, a face-recognition feature that was never released to the public.
The plaintiffs argue that Meta's actions constitute a massive invasion of privacy, particularly because users were never explicitly notified that their images would be used for AI training or facial recognition purposes. The complaint also points out that Meta has previously faced legal scrutiny over similar practices, including a 2021 settlement under BIPA related to its now-discontinued facial recognition feature.
Meta's Response and Legal Context
Meta has not yet issued a public statement regarding the lawsuit. However, the company has historically maintained that its data collection practices comply with applicable laws and that its terms of service grant it broad rights to use user content for product development and improvement.
The case arrives amid growing regulatory and legal pressure on major technology companies over the use of personal data in AI training. In 2026, several jurisdictions have introduced or strengthened laws requiring explicit consent for biometric data collection and AI model training. The outcome of this lawsuit could set a significant precedent for how social media platforms handle user data in the development of AI and facial recognition technologies.
The plaintiffs are seeking class certification, damages, and injunctive relief to prevent Meta from continuing the alleged practices.
via Wired AI