A settlement has been struck in a new $35 million class action lawsuit filed against Snapchat, which means you may be eligible to receive a piece of the funds.
The lawsuit, titled "Boone, et al. v. Snap Inc.," accuses Snapchat of collecting biometric data through its "Lenses" and "Filters" features, in violation of the Biometric Information Privacy Act, or BIPA, in Illinois.
Snapchat Settles Illinois Class-Action Lawsuit
Snapchat denies any wrongdoing but has decided to settle the case without going to trial. If you have not yet filed a claim, here are some answers to frequently asked questions concerning the settlement for individuals who qualify:
You are eligible if you were an Illinois Snapchat user who utilized the app features 'Lenses' and Filters between November 17, 2015, and the present. If you are unclear whether you are eligible for a payout, contact the Settlement Administrator at Info@snapillinoisbipasettlement.com - or call 1-844-939-4343.
Individual settlement amounts are still being worked up. It will be determined by how many individuals file claims and are approved to receive settlement funds from the $35 million. Court and administrative expenses will also be considered, according to Fox32 Chicago.
The complaint 'Lenses' uses technology to conduct a facial scan as well as creating, acquiring, and storing a user's unique biometric identifiers. The function gathered the plaintiffs' biometric information without seeking informed written agreement each time it scanned their faces, the suit contends.
The Illinois Biometric Privacy Act prohibits private sector organizations and institutions, regardless of location, from collecting biometric data from unsuspecting state residents or online. Data can never be sold, transferred, or swapped. Citizens, unlike in any other state, have the ability to sue for alleged violations, resulting in hundreds of David-and-Goliath court battles against some of the world's most powerful businesses.
How To File a Claim in Snapchat Settlement
If a business is determined to have broken Illinois law, citizens can seek civil fines of up to $5,000 per violation, multiplied by the number of persons harmed and the number of days involved. There is no involvement of a state regulatory agency in enforcement.
Recently, more than one million Illinois Facebook users began getting payments as part of a $650 million settlement in a class-action suit alleging that the company violated citizens' rights by capturing and storing digital scans of their faces without their consent, NBC Chicago reported.
Individual compensation amounts will be determined by the number of persons who file claims and are approved to receive settlement funds from the $35 million pool. To be eligible for a payout, people must submit a claim form by November 5, 2022, which must be authorized by the Settlement Administrator.
The state's Biometric Privacy Act prohibits private sector organizations and institutions, regardless of location, from collecting biometric data from unsuspecting residents in the state or online. In another instance, more than one million Facebook users in Illinois got cheques as part of a $650 million class action settlement alleging that the corporation improperly collected and stored digital scans of their faces, as per Independent.
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