Illinois Finds Itself at Forefront of Facial-Recognition Litigation

Illinois is currently at the forefront of regulating facial-recognition technology. It is one of only two states that have passed laws covering the collection and use of biometric information. There are five lawsuits pending in Illinois courts that allege that companies are violating the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act.

This article examines the facial-recognition controversy and the Illinois lawsuits that have placed the state at the epicenter of regulation of biometric technologies, which “identify people using their faces, fingerprints, hands, eye retinas and irises, voice and gait among other things,” according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s July 2015 report titled “Facial Recognition Technology: Commercial Uses, Privacy Issues and Applicable Federal Law.”