On August 5, 2024, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law SB 2979, significantly amending the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). This update represents a considerable decrease in the potential for exorbitant financial liabilities for businesses that engage with biometric data while still maintaining the statute’s robust protections for individuals’ biometric data. The
The State of Texas and Meta Platforms Inc. (“Meta”) have agreed to a $1.4 billion settlement, to be paid out over five years, to resolve claims relating to Meta’s alleged use of facial recognition technology without user consent. This settlement marks the largest privacy settlement obtained by a single state and is the first one
In a landmark decision that will have widespread effects, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that a claim accrues each time—rather than just the first time—that data is collected in violation of the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). Because BIPA provides statutory damages for each violation, this ruling exponentially increases potential damages, especially in the employment
On October 20, 2022, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton brought suit in Texas district court against Google for alleged violations of the Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act (“CUBI”). The petition claims that Google violated CUBI by collecting, analyzing, and storing the facial geometry of individuals who appear in photos that have
The jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs in the first trial for violations of the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act (“BIPA”), which was conducted in the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Rogers v. BNSF Ry. Co., No. 1:19-cv-03083. A jury found that BNSF Railway violated BIPA by maintaining an
On February 3, the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously ruled in McDonald v. Symphony Bronzeville Park, LLC, 2022 IL 126511, that the exclusivity provisions of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act (WCA) do not preempt employees’ claims for statutory damages under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The decision provides clarity for a number
On July 9, 2021, New York City’s biometric identifier information law became effective. The law, which was enacted in January 2021, addresses the collection and use of biometric identifier information (BII) by commercial establishments—meaning places of entertainment, retail stores, or food and drink establishments—to track customer activity. It creates a private right of action and subjects violators to statutory damages.
Continue Reading New York City’s Biometric Identifier Information Law Takes Effect
2021 has so far been a year of conflicting impulses in biometrics law: two proposed bills in New York and Maryland would impose substantial new requirements on private entities, but in Illinois a proposed amendment would reign in that state’s existing Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
Continue Reading The State of Proposed Biometrics Laws
On January 6, 2021, a bipartisan group of New York state lawmakers released a copy of Assembly Bill 27 (AB 27), the New York Biometric Privacy Act. If New York passes AB 27, it will join Illinois, Texas, and Washington as states that have adopted laws that strictly regulate the notice, collection, and handling
On August 19, 2020, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California granted preliminary approval of the class action settlement in In re Facebook Biometric Information Privacy Litigation, 3:15-cv-03747-JD. If the settlement receives final approval, Facebook would pay $650 million to Illinois class members as compensation for violations of the Illinois