Most Illinois biometric privacy settlements pay about $95 to $345 per claimant. Your check depends on the fund size, the number of valid claims, and whether you qualify for a higher-paid group. Biometric privacy lawsuits usually mean claims under Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act. The law covers identifiers such as fingerprints, face templates, and facial geometry collected without proper consent.
Official resources:
- Explore the official data from Encryptionconsulting — Use this primary source to review the underlying data.
- Read the official notice from Nprillinois — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
Table of Contents
- What does Illinois law allow per violation?
- What have large settlements actually paid?
- Why does the per-person amount change?
- What can raise or cap your recovery?
- Should you file a claim?
What does Illinois law allow per violation?
Privacy Law Network states that an aggrieved person can seek $1,000 per negligent violation or $5,000 per intentional or reckless violation, plus attorney fees and costs, in its Illinois BIPA guide. Those amounts are the starting point for negotiations and court awards.
They are not the amount most claimants receive from a shared settlement. Jury awards can reach the full per-violation amount. Settlements usually trade a lower per-person payment for faster and more certain compensation.
What have large settlements actually paid?
MediaPost reported that a federal judge gave final approval on Feb. 26, 2021 to Facebook's $650 million settlement over face templates from photo tagging, initially producing about $345 per Illinois claimant, in its report on the Facebook approval. That is near the high end for a broad consumer settlement. Larger funds do not always mean larger checks.
Google's $100 million settlement over Google Photos Face Grouping was finally approved by Cook County Judge Anna M. Loftus in Sept. 2022, then estimating about $154 per person for about 420,000 valid claims, according to TechXplore in its report on the Google settlement. Snap agreed to pay $35 million over claims that Snapchat Lenses and Filters collected facial geometry without consent, with early estimates of $58 to $117 per claimant, according to TechCrunch. TikTok's $92 million settlement received final approval in July 2022, with Illinois residents who created videos placed in a higher-paid Illinois subclass, according to Encryption Consulting.
Why does the per-person amount change?
Most consumer settlements divide the net fund equally among valid claimants. More valid claims means a smaller payment for each person. Fewer valid claims means a larger payment for each person.
Google shows the pattern clearly. NPR Illinois reported that after valid Google claims rose above 687,000, individual payouts fell to about $95 each, in its update on the Google payouts. Early estimates had been higher because they assumed fewer claims. Treat every early per-person estimate as provisional.
What can raise or cap your recovery?
Illinois residency and the product feature matter. TikTok paid Illinois video creators through a separate higher-paid subclass. Facebook, Google, and Snap also centered on Illinois users of specific photo or filter features. Trial verdicts follow different math.
In Rogers v. BNSF Railway, jurors awarded $228 million on Oct. 12, 2022 after finding 45,600 reckless or intentional fingerprint violations at $5,000 each, according to Willkie. Since the Aug. 2, 2024 amendment, repeated collection of the same identifier from the same person by the same method counts as one violation with at most one recovery, according to Privacy Law Network.
Should you file a claim?
File when you fit the settlement definition and can do so before the stated deadline. Use this quick check: Do not assume a workplace fingerprint case and a consumer photo case pay the same. Do not ignore the release language, because filing usually waives related claims against the defendant for the covered conduct.
- Were you an Illinois resident during the covered period?
- Did you use the named feature, such as photo tagging, Face Grouping, Lenses, or video creation?
- Can you provide the requested contact and payment information?
- Are you filing only once for the same covered conduct?