Image Recognition
(TNS) — Millions of Illinois Instagram users may be eligible for a cut of a new $68.5 million class-action biometric privacy settlement.The lawsuit alleges facial recognition technology used on the app until November 2021 violated Illinois’ biometric privacy law, which is considered the strictest in the nation.Any person who used Instagram while in Illinois between Aug. 10, 2015, and Aug. 16, 2023, will be eligible for a cut of the settlement if it is approved, according to court documents. DuPage County Circuit Court judge Angelo Kappas issued a preliminary approval order of the settlement in early July.In court documents, attorneys for the plaintiffs estimate 4 million Illinois residents could be eligible to partake in the settlement. A final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled in October.The Instagram deal is the latest in a string of settlements by Big Tech companies over alleged violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. The law, passed in 2008, prohibits companies from collecting or saving biometric information, such as fingerprints, without prior consent.Facebook, now Meta, along with Google and Snapchat parent Snap Inc. have all settled biometric privacy cases in Illinois in recent years. Facebook settled its case for $650 million, with individual payouts topping $400 for some class members.