Observed Signal · Jul 15, 2020 · Regulation · Source: OnlineMarketing.de · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Lawsuit Over Facial Recognition Training Photos
Three lawsuits have been filed in the United States accusing Amazon, Alphabet (Google’s parent), and Microsoft of training facial recognition technologies with user photos without permission. Illinois residents Steven Vance and Tim Janecyk allege that photos sourced from IBM's Diversity in Faces dataset were used to train these systems, in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), which restricts the storage and use of biometric data without written consent. The plaintiffs contend that the defendants chose to profit from biometric identifiers derived from images of Illinois residents and their accounts, exposing the state's residents to ongoing privacy risks. IBM faced criticism for not notifying individuals; IBM said there is an opt-out option. IBM had previously announced in June its plan to exit the facial recognition market. The suits, filed in Washington and California, seek damages and an injunction and are described as consolidated class actions. The case highlights ongoing privacy concerns and regulatory risk around biometric data use in AI training and adtech.
Biometric privacy lawsuits present regulatory and industry risk implications for adtech and AI training.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Lawsuits filed in Washington and California against Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft seeking damages and injunctive relief.
- Plaintiffs are Illinois residents Steven Vance and Tim Janecyk.
- Diversity in Faces dataset from IBM used to train facial recognition tech.
- Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) prohibits storing biometric data without written consent.
- IBM planned to exit the facial recognition market.
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Amazon Sued Over Ring Familiar Faces Feature
A class-action lawsuit was filed on June 2, 2026 in Seattle by Virginia resident Charles Sigwalt alleging that Amazon’s Ring doorbell cameras collected and stored images of passersby without their consent via the Familiar Faces facial recognition feature. Ring announced Familiar Faces in September and launched it in December; the feature lets opted-in users identify frequent visitors via AI and deliver specific notifications. The suit argues millions of people were unknowingly scanned. Amazon has said face data is encrypted, not shared, and unidentified faces are removed after 30 days. The complaint arrives amid longstanding privacy concerns about Ring, including a 2023 FTC settlement over employee access to videos, past law-enforcement access controversies, the cancelled Flock Safety partnership and backlash over AI features like Search Party.
Figma lawsuit spotlights AI training consent defaults
An analysis of Figma’s default settings for AI model training frames the company’s recent class-action lawsuit as a design-and-consent issue rather than purely a copyright dispute. The article traces a recurring pattern across Zoom, Slack, and Adobe where vendors quietly set opt-out defaults for AI training, provoking user backlash and regulatory scrutiny. It proposes a four-question test (Consent, Symmetry, Disclosure, Exit) for product teams to audit whether tools treat user work respectfully, and highlights relevant legal regimes including the CCPA, GDPR, and the EU AI Act. The piece urges designers and product teams to inventory where work lives, check real defaults, and prioritize permission over forgiveness.
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