Apple is facing a massive class action lawsuit, with plaintiffs seeking $32.5 billion in damages, a staggering sum that could potentially change the face of the tech industry. The lawsuit surrounds Apple's collection of biometric data from Illinois citizens, specifically facial recognition data, without their proper notification.
The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, passed in 2008, protects users from companies collecting sensitive data like faceprints without consent. The law requires companies to obtain written consent from users before collecting biometric information. The lawsuit claims Apple's Photos app automatically uses facial recognition to scan faces in a user's library, develop a faceprint, and store biometric data on the device or Apple's servers.
The lawsuit is divided into three classes: Local Device Class, iCloud Subclass, and iCloud Faceprint Subclass, each impacting millions of Illinois citizens. Apple has argued that its privacy safeguards comply with the Illinois law and that facial recognition processes happen on individual devices, not on Apple's servers. However, plaintiffs argue that Apple stores biometric data on its servers, violating the law.
This is not the first time a tech giant has faced a class action lawsuit over biometric data collection. Meta, now known as Facebook, faced a similar lawsuit in 2021 and ultimately paid $650 million to settle the suit. The Apple lawsuit could be even more notable, with each victim potentially entitled to up to $5,000, a much steeper payout than Meta's settlement.
The outcome of the lawsuit is uncertain, and Apple could still have it tossed. However, if the court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, it could have significant implications for the tech industry and the way companies collect and store user data.
The Apple lawsuit is a remarkable development in class-action lawsuits against big tech companies, particularly after what we saw from Meta's lawsuit five years ago. It remains to be seen whether Apple will have to pay the full $32.5 billion or if the lawsuit will be settled out of court.
