Meta Sued Over Unauthorized Use of Facial Recognition Data

Meta Platforms Inc. has been named as a defendant in a class-action lawsuit filed on Friday, September 4, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The suit alleges that Meta unlawfully collected, stored, and utilized facial images and biometric data from users of Facebook and Instagram to build its facial recognition and generative artificial intelligence systems.

The lawsuit, filed by Wexler Boley & Elgersma LLP, claims that Meta has exploited images from millions of users without obtaining their consent. The data collection is reported to have begun as early as 2010 and is said to encompass facial images acquired through the company's platforms.

The case, docketed as 1:26-cv-10773, seeks to halt Meta's alleged unauthorized use of these images and requests compensation for affected users. The plaintiffs are also seeking the destruction of the biometric data collected by the company.

Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook, has previously denied allegations of violating data privacy laws in similar past litigation. Company representatives have not yet issued a statement regarding this specific lawsuit.