Regulators have spent years trying to make big tech companies pay for the ways they harvest and, at times, abuse users’ data. One state, meanwhile, is literally making them pay up – and pay out directly to consumers.
The video featured is from a previous report.
Illinois is one of just a few states in the United States that has a law requiring companies to get consumers’ consent before snagging their biometric data, and its rule, passed in 2008, is seen as the toughest in the nation. The law, called the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), doesn’t just force companies to get permission from people before collecting biometric data like fingerprints or scans of facial geometry. It also sets rules regarding how companies must safeguard such information, prohibits companies from selling Illinois residents’ biometric data, and allows Illinois residents to sue companies for alleged violations of the law.
In the nearly 15 years since its passage, services using biometric data – from palm print recognition for buying groceries to facial-recognition software for unlocking your smartphone – have become increasingly common. But legislation in the United States has not kept up. There is no federal legislation on the matter, and among the select few states to have taken action, the Illinois law is seen as uniquely effective, CNN reported.
“It’s the gold standard law,” said Chad Marlow, a senior policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.
As a result, Illinois has become the…
