Biometric

Snapchat Defends Procedures After Facial Recognition Class Action

The popular social media platform Snapchat faces allegations by two Illinois users that it stores information that makes them susceptible to identity theft. The class action complaint filed May 23 by Jose Luis Martinez and Malcolm Neal in the Superior Court of California against Snapchat Inc. alleges that the multimedia service provider violated the Illinois …


Lawsuit Filed Against Snapchat for Using Biometric Data Without Consent

Two men filed a class-action lawsuit against Snapchat under a 2008 Illinois state law that requires a company to obtain written consent before using an individual’s biometric data, according to a report by Inc. Initially filed by plaintiffs Jose Luis Martinez and Malcolm Neal in Los Angeles County court in May, the case has recently been moved to U.S. District Court for the …


Facebook Must Fight for Its Facial Recognition Tech in Court

Stop that tag! A judge ruled last week that a US class-action lawsuit arguing that Facebook’s use of its facial recognition tech violates Illinois law will go ahead, despite the company’s attempts to dismiss it. People upload millions of photos to Facebook every day.


California Federal Judge: Facebook Can Face Privacy Class Actions Under Illinois Biometrics Law

A federal judge has ruled that even though a putative class-action suit against Facebook – which alleges the company lifted users’ biometric information without permission – was moved from Illinois federal court to California federal jurisdiction, Illinois law regarding privacy will apply in the case. The decision was delivered May 5 by California Federal Judge James Donato, who struck down …


Can Facebook Store Your Facial Biometrics? Lawsuit Says No

It’s well-known that Facebook uses an algorithm that can recognise a person based on information in photographs. It’s a little creepy, sure, but is it illegal? Earlier this week, a court ruled against Facebook in a lawsuit that alleged the company unlawfully collected biometric data pertaining to faces in photos without users’ consent, according to CNET.



Facebook Loses First Round in Facial Recognition Class Action Suit

Sorry, Facebook: that class action lawsuit over violating privacy rights with your facial recognition technology isn’t going away anytime soon. A San Francisco federal judge on Thursday refused Facebook’s request to toss the lawsuit, letting the case move forward. The lawsuit was filed by some Illinois residents under Illinois law, but the parties agreed to transfer the case to the California …


Google Sued Over Facial Recognition in Photo Sharing, Latest Tech Giant to Face Class Action in IL

Google has become the latest titan of the digital age to face legal action under an Illinois law over the use of facial recognition technology and photo sharing. Chicago resident Lindabeth Rivera filed a class action complaint March 1 in federal court in Chicago, accusing the Mountain View, Calif., tech giant of violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. The complaint is similar …


Class Action Suit Accuses Google of Stealing “Face Prints” Without Permission

In a case called Weiss v. Google Inc., plaintiff Joseph Weiss has filed a potential class action accusing Google of stealing “face templates” from Google Photos without permission. The case was filed in Illinois Northern District Court and accuses Google of violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). BIPA regulates the collection, use, and storage of “biometric information” …


Court Rules Shutterfly May Have Violated Privacy by Scanning Face Photos

A federal judge has has denied a motion to dismiss a civil case against photo-sharing site Shutterfly that claims the company violated users’ privacy by collecting and scanning face geometries from uploaded images without consent. The first of its kind ruling could open the door to future class-action lawsuits against Shutterfly and other social networks that use facial recognition technology …