A large number of Illinois users of Meta’s social media platform Facebook may be eligible for financial compensation due to Meta’s violation of privacy laws. Meta’s Facebook has pushed the limits on collecting users’ information for many years.
The social media platform leans on broad-sweeping terms and conditions to secure near-total consent for data collection from its users. Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), however, places limitations on this data collection when it comes to biometric data such as fingerprints or voiceprints – limitations that Facebook has serially violated.
Meta relies on user data to optimize advertisements, an approach that generates hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue for the company. Due to the consent obtained in user agreements, Facebook users receive no compensation for the billions of dollars made using their data. In the case of the illegal use of their biometric data as defined in BIPA, however, our consumer class action attorneys are ensuring that users are compensated.
Outside of the revenue generated, Facebook’s illegal collection of user biometric data also exposes users to enormous risk due to regular cyberattacks against Meta. Meta itself has admitted that due to the scale of the data that they store, they are unable to keep track of every piece of data compromised.
This reality underscores why Facebook should refrain from collecting biometric data, which is perhaps the most sensitive of all personal information and unlike passwords or phone numbers, can never be changed if compromised. Our consumer class action lawsuit lawyers are seeking to stop Meta from collecting any more biometric data from Illinois users and to ensure that users are reimbursed for these illegal actions.
While this lawsuit applies to Illinois residents, our team of class action attorneys is working on numerous similar lawsuits on behalf of California residents. If your data has been illegally collected, contact our Meta class action lawyers today.
What do Meta and Facebook do with Your Biometric Data?
Meta has a troubled history when it comes to misuse of user data – it has long appeared that the company’s approach is to do whatever it needs to do to improve its bottom line and deal with the privacy implications later. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the federal government’s consumer protection agency, has entered numerous legal battles with Meta regarding privacy violations.
Meta’s known use of users’ data is almost entirely for advertisement. The company has been an innovator in the field of targeted advertisements, which gathers user information to determine which advertisements would be most likely to entice them to spend money.
In its continued push to extract more revenue from this approach, Meta has pursued a series of patents regarding voice recognition which point towards alarming collection of biometric data. These patents indicate that Meta is using voice recognition data to:
- Locate users who have opted out of location tracking. If a Facebook user who has opted out of location tracking is with another Facebook user who has not opted out, any voice recording from the second user’s Meta programs could be used to locate the first user.
- Identify users that are spending time together. Meta voiceprints will keep track of who is spending time together and, if possible, what they are doing. For example, Meta can know exactly which 2 people are streaming a TV show together to optimize the advertisements shown.
- Confirm attendance lists at events. Meta can use voice recordings to see who attends an event, which is a more reliable metric than relying on an RSVP list.
- Authenticate accounts. Facebook accounts can be authenticated through voiceprints.
- Identify which stores a user is attending. Any voiceprint recognition within a store from a Facebook device or third-party device using a Meta program can identify people within the store.
- Analyze background voices to expand voiceprint recognition. Users may even be located if they are speaking in the background of another user’s audio recording.
All of this is done in the name of optimizing advertisements, helping Meta to grow an already massively profitable aspect of their business. These actions violate both ethical and legal standards, and our Meta class action lawyers are proud to be holding Meta accountable. Contact us today to take the first step toward compensation if you have suffered similar illegal data collection in California.
When does Meta Capture my Voiceprint?
Some users may believe that Meta is only collecting voice recognition data when it clearly states that it is doing so. This is not the case. On Facebook, users voice recognition data can be collected during:
- Video messages.
- Voice messages.
- Voice search feature.
- Text dictation.
- Voice calls.
- Video calls.
- Inputting name pronunciation.
These common, everyday uses of the app allow Facebook access to perhaps the most sensitive personal information that people have. The only opportunity that users are given to prevent this from happening, outside of going through the complex process of opting out, is by declining to give the app access to their phone’s speaker, which would severely limit the user experience. To make matters worse, most users do not know that this is happening.
Meta is gathering data that they should not have and, by its own omission, safeguarding it insufficiently. Our Meta class action lawyers are dedicated to ending this alarming activity and securing compensation for Illinois users. California law grants residents numerous protections from illegal data collection – visit our class action page to learn more or contact us today.
What Is the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act?
BIPA was passed in 2008 and sets rigid guidelines for the collection and use of personal biometric data in Illinois. Under BIPA:
- Companies must obtain written consent before collecting biometric data. Offering the option to opt out of collection does not meet this requirement. Facebook offers an opt out, but it is difficult to locate and often requires a multi-step process.
- Users must be informed of the reason for collection and the plan for its eventual destruction.
- There must be a written plan for how long the company will keep the data.
- No company may profit from a person’s biometric data.
- Each willful violation represents $5,000 in damages.
- Each negligent violation represents $1,000 in damages.
Meta’s collection of biometric data flies in the face of these restrictions and constitutes a flagrant violation of BIPA. Meta has faced legal action under BIPA before and should be aware of these requirements. The degree to which Meta’s voiceprint collection violates these standards underscores the company’s disregard for personal privacy – our consumer class action attorneys are determined to hold them accountable. If you have suffered illegal data collection, contact us today to secure the compensation you deserve.
Who Is Eligible for Compensation?
While it is not clear precisely how long Meta has been using this technology, anyone in Illinois who has had their voice characteristics and/or a voice profile captured by Facebook is likely eligible for compensation. This most likely includes all Illinois Facebook users.
While there is no equivalent bill to BIPA that applies to California residents, California residents are protected from a broad slate of common data collection practices. Our consumer class action attorneys are pursuing numerous lawsuits involving data collection in California, primarily involving the illegal use of pixels like Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics.
If your data has been illegally collected in California or Nevada, contact our consumer class action team today.
