Illinois Biometric Privacy Violation Attorneys
As technology progresses, biometric data—such as your face, fingerprints, and voice—is becoming increasingly useful outside law enforcement. But your privacy matters too, and the state of Illinois put some teeth behind that belief in 2008. The state's Biometric Information Privacy Act requires companies to get consent before collecting any biometric information from their employees and customers. Importantly, it is one of the few laws that permits ordinary people to enforce their rights through a biometric privacy lawsuit.
If a company has violated your privacy by collecting and sharing your biometric data without permission, the Illinois Biometric privacy violation attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can help. To speak with an experienced attorney, contact us online or call toll-free at 1-888-424-5757.
Illinois Biometric Privacy Violation Lawsuit FAQ's
Recent Biometric Privacy Lawsuits and Settlements in Chicago and Illinois
As the use of biometric information has increased, so has the number of violations of the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act. Cases that have been brought, settled or tried to a verdict in recent years include:
- Facebook: In January of 2020, Facebook settled a class-action facial recognition lawsuit for $550 million. The lawsuit, whose plaintiffs were all Illinois residents, argued that Facebook broke Illinois law with its Tag Suggestions feature. The feature used millions of users' pictures to guess at the identity of people in photographs; Facebook then asked the user for confirmation. A biometric privacy attorney for the plaintiffs told the New York Times that users should be able to have anonymous discussions of controversial social issues if they choose.
- WeWork: A class-action lawsuit complaint filed in November of 2019 alleges that shared office space company WeWork collects facial scans in violation of the Illinois law.
- Google: In late September of 2019, a group of Illinois residents filed a proposed class-action lawsuit in Chicago, arguing that Google Photos violated the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act by "actively collecting, storing, and using" facial information without the required disclosures or consent.
- Vimeo: Also in late September of 2019, video sharing company Vimeo was sued for collecting and storing facial recognition data through its Magisto service. Users upload videos and photos to Magisto, which the proposed class action argues extracts facial recognition information without consent or disclosure.
- Thyssenkrup: A former employee at a Danville, Illinois factory sued the employer, Thyssenkrup Crankshaft, in September of 2019 for failing to get her consent to use her fingerprints as a substitute for a time card in a fingerprint scanning timeclock system. Brenda Wickens also alleges that the company failed to inform her about the purpose for the storage of her fingerprints. According to both the attorney for Wickens and Bloomberg Law, this is a common type of lawsuit under the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act.
Contact an Illinois Biometric Privacy Violation Attorney Today
If you believe a company has been collecting your personal biometric information without your consent, contact Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC today to discuss your rights and your legal options. You can call us at 1-888-424-5757 or contact us online. We are committed to holding companies fully accountable when they violate your legal right to privacy.