Just as Illinois residents are busy spending their Facebook payout, Snapchat is now on the line for allegedly breaking Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act Laws.

In case you aren't 100% clear on what Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act covers, here's a brief description from Wikipedia;

to regulate the collection, use, and handling of biometric identifiers and information by private entities.[1] Notably, the Act does not apply to government entities.

 

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Will Snapchat Have To Send Illinois Users Payouts Soon?

According to NBC Chicago;

A class-action lawsuit has been brought against Snapchat's parent company, accusing the social network of violating Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act by illegally collecting users' biometric information without their consent, according to court documents.

If you're thinking this lawsuit zeroes in on the location sharing feature of Snapchat, you are wrong, Snapchat's lenses are taking all the heat. This lawsuit claims that Snapchat's lens feature "involves the use of technology to create a face scan and "creating, obtaining and storing" a user's unique biometric identifiers" without asking for our consent to do so first.

Would Snapchat Have To Pay Out More Than Facebook if Found Guilty?

If it is found that Snapchat has indeed violated Illinois law, residents could collect up to $5,000 per violation "compounded by the number of people affected and days involved". Full disclosure? I'm not really sure what that last statement means, but I know I won't make the same mistake I made with the Facebook lawsuit. If the Snapchat lawsuit reaches the point where I need to file a claim, I would be doing it immediately so I don't miss out on some cash!

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