United States of America: Reached settlement in civil lawsuit against Snapchat for alleged violation of the Biometric Information Privacy Act (Boone, et al. v. Snap Inc.)

On 23 August 2022, a settlement was reached in the civil lawsuit against Snap Inc. for alleged violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). To resolve the matter, Snap Inc. agreed to pay USD 35 million. However the company denies any liability or wrongdoing. As per the class-action complaint, Snapchat's "Lenses" feature, which enables users to add special effects to photos by scanning the geometry of a person's face, allegedly violated the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). Under this law, private entities are prohibited from collecting, capturing, purchasing, receiving through trade, or otherwise obtaining the biometric information of an Illinois resident unless they provide clear information on how the data and indentifiers are stored and used.