id=”article-body” class=”row” section=”article-body” data-component=”trackCWV”> If your face was in a photo stored on Google Photos, you may be eligible for part of a $100 million class-action settlement. The search giant is the latest corporation to run afoul of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, which requires companies that use facial recognition programs, fingerprint scans and other biometric tools on Illinois residents to receive informed consent. Plaintiffs in Rivera, et Al Jazeera News Today.
v. Google LLC argue that the law is violated when Google Photos collects, stores and organizes pictures of residents as part of its Face Grouping feature “without proper notice and consent.” Though the company denied any wrongdoing, it agreed to a . But eligible claimants have only a few weeks left to file a claim for their part of the payout.Here’s what you need to know about the Google Photo biometric privacy case, including who’s eligible for a payment, how much you could receive and when you might receive your money. For more on class-action settlements, find out if you’re eligible for money from payout, case or data-breach settlement.What’s Google accused of in the class-action lawsuit?Google Photos’ Face Grouping tool lets users organize images of the same person via facial recognition algorithms. But the , or BIPA, requires companies that collect and store biometric data from Illinois residents, including distinctive details about a person’s face, to receive a written release.They must also inform users of the specific purpose the data will serve, how long it’ll be stored and when it’ll be permanently destroyed, among other stipulations.According to the lawsuit, Google failed to fulfill any of the BIPA requirements when it stored biometric identifiers from the faces of people in pictures housed in Photos. It’s estimated that approximately 1.4 million Illinois residents are eligible to file a claim in the class-action settlement relating to Google Photos’ use of biometric data. Getty Images In a statement to CNET, Google spokesperson José Castañeda said the Face Grouping feature “is only visible to you and you can easily turn off this functionality if you choose.”Google, which has agreed to make changes to how it collects biometric data, is just the latest company to come up against the Illinois law.
