Teenager Ousmane Bah sues Apple for US$1 billion over ‘facial recognition error’ that led to his arrest

Lawyer said Apple stores matched Bah’s name with a thief’s face in the company’s security system

That means every time the perpetrator walked into an Apple store, his face would register as Bah on Apple’s surveillance

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Published: 10:48pm, 23 Apr 2019Updated: 1:32pm, 8 Aug 2019

An 18-year-old from New York is suing Apple for US$1 billion, claiming that a facial recognition system at its shops falsely connected him to a series of thefts.

Ousmane Bah, who was arrested at his home in November, claims the warrant included a photo of someone else.

Customers visit the Apple shop in New York. Photo: Reuters

The lawsuit also said a detective with the New York Police Department concluded the thief caught on the shop’s surveillance camera “looked nothing like” Bah.

The lawsuit, citing the detective, says Apple uses facial recognition technology to identify shoplifters. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bah said he had an interim learner’s permit, which does not have a photo, that had either been lost or stolen. His lawyer said the permit may have been presented as identification at Apple stores, erroneously matching Bah’s name with the thief’s face in the company’s security system.

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