Two food delivery robot companies operating in Chicago are facing class-action lawsuits alleging unauthorized collection and use of biometric data. The lawsuits, filed last week in the Circuit Court of Cook County, claim that the robots operated by Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics scan the faces and hands of individuals without consent, using the biometric information to train artificial intelligence models and sharing it with third parties.
The plaintiffs, Mitchell Breidinger and Barry Schain, residents of Chicago’s Near North Side and Lincoln Park neighborhoods respectively, assert that their biometric data was captured and transmitted without their knowledge while the delivery robots carried orders in their vicinity. Breidinger, who reportedly is a DoorDash customer, initiated the suit against Coco Robotics, while Schain filed his against Serve Robotics.
Both lawsuits maintain that these actions violate the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), a law passed in 2008 which regulates the collection and use of biometric identifiers such as retina or iris scans, fingerprints, voiceprints, and hand or face geometry scans. Under BIPA, companies are required to inform individuals when their biometric information is being collected and must obtain consent before recording, transmitting, or using such data.
Legal representatives David Almeida and Lucas Coughlin, representing the plaintiffs, emphasized the sensitivity of biometric information in a joint statement, highlighting concerns over advanced AI systems’ ability to identify and track individuals solely through biometric features. They warned of the increased risks associated with loss of control over such data.
Both Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics have denied the allegations. The companies have not publicly commented beyond these denials as of the filing of the lawsuits.
The lawsuits draw attention to the evolving legal and privacy challenges posed by the integration of AI technology and autonomous delivery devices in public spaces. They underscore a growing scrutiny on how biometric data is being collected and used by private companies, and the adequacy of current laws in addressing these new technologies.