The Matrix

In an eye-opening 4-3 decision issued on Friday, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that a separate Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”) claim accrues “with every scan or transmission of biometric identifiers or biometric information without prior informed consent.” Cothron v. White Castle System, Inc., 2023 IL 128004 ¶ 45. The decision may have staggering consequences on all pending BIPA cases, converting what might have been a single claim, into thousands of separate claims for $1,000 or $5,000 (depending on whether the violation is negligent or willful). The impact of the decision is even more severe in light of the Illinois Supreme Court’s recent decision in Tims v. Black Horse Carriers, Inc., 2023 IL 127801, applying a five-year statute of limitations to all BIPA claims. 

The Illinois Supreme Court has issued its highly anticipated ruling in Tims v. Black Horse Carriers, Inc., 2023 IL 127801, which expands the statute of limitations period for certain claims under the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) from one year to five years. The Court reversed in part a previous ruling by the appellate court, which held that a one-year limitations period applied to claims under subsections 15(c) and (d) of BIPA, prohibiting the sale and unauthorized disclosure of biometric data, and affirmed the appellate court’s judgment that a five-year period applied to other claims under BIPA.

New York And Maryland Propose BIPA-Like Biometric Privacy Bills
New York Assembly Bill 27—introduced on January 6, 2021—seeks to amend the New York general business law in relation to biometric privacy.  Similarly, Maryland House Bill 218—introduced on January 13, 2021—proposes biometric privacy regulations on private entities in Maryland.

The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) is the only biometric privacy statute in the country with a private right of action. In the last two years, litigation under BIPA has dominated privacy law headlines. There are hundreds of BIPA class action lawsuits pending in Illinois state and federal courts, with new filings each week.

Last month, the Seventh Circuit issued a highly anticipated ruling concerning Article III standing for claims brought under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).

On March 31, 2020, Washington Senate Bill No. 6280 (the “Act”) became law, codifying one of the most detailed facial recognition regulations in the country. The Act regulates state and local government agencies in Washington using or intending to develop, procure, or use a facial recognition service but also includes important considerations for companies designing this technology.