Parents and children in Illinois and California have filed a proposed class action alleging that Meta used Facebook and Instagram photos to create biometric data without notice or consent. The complaint links those images both to Meta’s generative-image training and to NameTag, an unreleased face-recognition feature explored for its smart glasses.
Code found in the glasses companion app indicated that NameTag could turn a captured face into a biometric signature and compare it with faceprints on a user’s phone. The suit says those faceprints may derive from social-media images, but acknowledges that Meta has not disclosed which photos, if any, supplied the data. The feature was embedded in an app downloaded more than 50 million times but was not enabled for consumers.
The complaint also targets training for Emu and Muse Image. Meta says the case misrepresents its work, that NameTag has not shipped, and that it is not building a universal face database. The allegations have not been tested in court. Plaintiffs seek statutory damages and an injunction under state privacy laws; Illinois law can provide up to $5,000 for each intentional or reckless biometric violation.