Amazon, Target, and other retailers collect customer biometric data without consent, face class action lawsuits

Summary

Consumers filed class action lawsuits against Amazon.com Services, Target Corp., Wingstop, Domino’s Pizza, and ConverseNow Technologies for allegedly violating Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The lawsuits claim the companies collected biometric data—such as facial scans, voiceprints, and fingerprints—without obtaining consent or properly scheduling destruction of the data. The lawsuits were filed in Illinois, where BIPA requires companies to inform individuals, obtain consent, and establish data retention policies for biometric information. Amazon was accused of using facial recognition in timecard systems, while Target was alleged to have used cameras to collect customers’ biometric data. Wingstop and Domino’s Pizza were accused of using AI to record customers’ voiceprints during phone orders. In related settlements, BNSF Railway Co. agreed to pay $75 million and Graphic Packaging International agreed to pay nearly $1 million to resolve claims of BIPA violations involving employee biometric data collection.