Millions of Illinois Snapchat users could benefit as Snapchat settles class-action lawsuit for $35M

Earlier this year, two Illinois residents alleged in a lawsuit that Snapchat was violating a state privacy law by scanning and storing faceprints. On May 11, attorney James C. Vlahakis, of the Sulaiman Law Group, of suburban Lombard, filed suit in Chicago federal court against Snap Inc. The class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of named plaintiffs Maribel Ocampo and Adrian Coss.The 33-page complaint alleged that Lenses feature by Snapchat violates the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.Snapchat has agreed to pay $35 million to Illinois residents who used the app’s “lenses” or “filters” features between Nov. 17, 2015, and today. Illinois residents wishing to receive part of the settlement must submit a claim by Nov. 5. Claims can be filed at snapillinoisbipasettlement.com. Snap spokesperson Pete Boogaard, said:While we are confident that Lenses do not violate BIPA, out of an abundance of caution and as a testament to our commitment to user privacy, earlier this year we rolled out an in-app consent notice for Snapchatters in Illinois.Recently, about 1.42 million Illinois Facebook users received settlement checks of up to $400 for collecting and storing “biometric data” without consent. Google has also agreed to pay $100 million to end the claims against…
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