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A New York college student is suing Apple after the tech giant's facial recognition software allegedly linked him to a series of Apple Store robberies.
On Monday, 18-year-old Ousmane Bah filed a $1 billion lawsuit with the Southern District of New York jointly accusing Apple and security firm Security Industry Specialists Inc. of being responsible for his false arrest in late November.
According to a copy of the complaint obtained by Business Insider Bah was arrested at his home last November in relation to a number of robberies at Apple Stores in New York City, New Jersey and Delaware in which over $1200 worth of merchandise was stolen.
Bah denies any involvement though, pointing out that he was attending his senior prom in Manhattan when one of the burglaries occurred.
Teen sues Apple for $1 billion, claiming facial recognition led to false arrest https://t.co/YhxTAUPigp https://t.co/v7jp3kfbLD— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) 1556035638.0
After reviewing surveillance footage of one of the robberies an NYPD detective eventually noticed Bah "looked nothing like" the suspect in video and realized he had been falsely arrested.
The lawsuit states that the detective then told Bah that Apple's security technology "identifies suspects of theft using facial recognition technology."
The detective also believes the suspect might have also been using a driver's permit which had been lost by Bah.
According to the complaint Apple "relied so heavily on its facial recognition software that [it] failed to consider the possibility of human error in its identification procedures."
Now Bah is seeking $1 billion in damages.
"He was forced to respond to multiple false allegations which led to severe stress and hardship in his life," the complaint reads. "And also significant damage to his positive reputation that he had put so much effort into upholding."
Though Apple would not comment on an ongoing legal matters the company denied using facial recognition technology in it's stores when it spoke to PEOPLE.
Remarkably many on Twitter seemed supportive of billion dollar swing Bah is taking at Apple.
@KTVU @Cernovich Wish him all the luck— Cn0000 (@Cn0000) 1556051161.0
@KTVU @Barnes_Law Hope he wins every penny— MJBLW (@MJBLW) 1556068073.0
@KTVU @Barnes_Law I hope he wins— FirstAmendment (@FirstAmendment) 1556069912.0
@KTVU @steph93065 Good!— LLLaura ✝️🌟🌟🌟✝️ (@LLLaura ✝️🌟🌟🌟✝️) 1556069215.0
@KTVU @Barnes_Law The bigger they are, the harder they fall.— Kim Henry (@Kim Henry) 1556069860.0
Though plenty felt the lawsuit might be aiming a little high in regards to damages.
@KTVU @Cernovich A billion sounds excessive but I hope he gets paid.— Hand of Chaos (@Hand of Chaos) 1556047097.0
@Gizmodo Seems like a legitimate reason to sue but I think a billion is getting awfully enthusiastic isn’t it?— Juice Gonzalez (@Juice Gonzalez) 1556036291.0
@KTVU https://t.co/AhPFkfSbQj— Justin (@Justin) 1556062091.0
@washingtonpost Lol, why not go for a cool Trillion?— Colonel Harvey Stovall (@Colonel Harvey Stovall) 1556029537.0
@KTVU must be a very important person if this caused him 1 billion in damages— artecolote (@artecolote) 1556044574.0
@KTVU @Cernovich That teen will never be worth 1 billion dollars.— joe mormann (@joe mormann) 1556054561.0
Others however were skeptical of Bah's chances and considered the suit little more than a frivolous money grab.
@KTVU ..missing a midterm🤣🤣 #frivolouslawsuit— Homer O. Moreno (@Homer O. Moreno) 1556045393.0
@verge Misses school. One billion dollars seems perfectly reasonable.— Simon (@Simon) 1556089496.0
@KTVU Apple can wait anyone out who doesn’t have a billion dollars already.— Nate Coles (@Nate Coles) 1556064657.0
While a billion dollar judgement does seem a bit far-fetched maybe Apple will settle for something worth almost as much.
@appleinsider He should just settle out of court for a free iPhone 😂— Mike Crowther (@Mike Crowther) 1555983296.0