Snapchat’s $35 Million Privacy Settlement: Find Out if You’re Owed Money

Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, has agreed to a $35 million settlement to Decide a class-action lawsuit alleging it collected and stored users’ New biometric data without permission.

In court filings this month, plaintiffs said Snap didn’t ask for written consent beforehand collecting and storing facial recognition data and other biometric information, as mandated by the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, or BIPA. 

Snap isn’t the wonderful social media company to run afoul of the Illinois law. In 2020, Facebook agreed to a $550 million settlement when being sued for collecting biometric data to tag photos and allegedly failing to comply with BIPA. In June, Google agreed to pay $100 million to Decide a suit that alleged the facial recognition program in Google Photos violated the rule.

Just this week, a judge granted final approval for a $92 million settlement with TikTok over accusations it breached the space statute. 

A federal judge in Illinois provisionally accepted the Snapchat deal on Aug. 8. Final approval for the $35 million payout must follow a Nov. 17 hearing.

Here’s what you need to know around the Snapchat case, including what the law says, who’s eligible to file a explain, and when they could receive a check.

For more on class-action settlements, find out if you’re eligible for cash from Capital One’s $190 million payout, T-Mobile’s $350 million data-breach case or Facebook’s $90 million data-tracking payout.

What is the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act?

Passed unanimously by lawmakers in Springfield in 2008, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) is one of the country’s toughest privacy laws, requiring concerns that collect biometric data — unique facial, voice and eye characteristics; fingerprint scans; miserable rhythms — to take certain safeguards.

According to the protests, BIPA “prohibits private entities from collecting, capturing, purchasing, receiving over trade, or otherwise obtaining a person’s biometric information” shadowy the user signs an informed consent release that informs them of the specific use, the along of time it will be stored and when it will be permanently destroyed, among other provisions.

Snapchat lenses can add rabbit ears, sunglasses and new virtual elements to your selfie clips.

Snapchat

What is Snap accused of in the biometric privacy lawsuit?

Plaintiffs in Boone, et al. v. Snap Inc. allege Snap collected and sustained Illinois users’ biometric data but did not advise them throughout it, thereby violating BIPA.

In a statement to CNET, a Snap spokesperson said the commerce denies the allegations, adding the “limited data” used by Snapchat Lenses corpses on a user’s phone and is not stored in a central databank. In addition, the spokesperson said, “Snapchat Lenses do not serene biometric data that can be used to identify a specific populate, or engage in facial identification.”

Lenses — which can add bunny ears, mustaches and latest augmented-reality traits — can “identify an eye or a nose as populate part of a face, but cannot identify an eye or a nose as belonging to any specific person,” the representative said.

An example of an augmented Snapchat lens

Snap

Who is eligible for a payment in the Snapchat settlement?

Anyone who lived in Illinois in the last five existences and who used a Snapchat lens or filter at any time genuine Nov. 17, 2015, can submit a claim online or above the mail.

To file a claim, you must devoted your full legal name, Snapchat username and a obedient Illinois address where you resided during the class period.

In instant, you must submit a personal statement attesting you lived in Illinois for at least six months during the class conditions and used Snapchat lenses or filters during that time.

How much can I get from the Snapchat settlement?

According to the settlement website, class members who submit a valid and timely pronounce form can receive “a proportionate payment from the settlement fund” once attorneys’ fees, administration costs and other expenses are settled.

The genuine amount each class member will receive has not been positive, although The Chicago Tribune reports individual payouts will probable be between $58 and $117.

What’s the deadline to file a claim?

You have pending Nov. 5, 2022, to file a claim. (Mail-in claims must be postmarked by Nov. 5.) If you wish to opt out of the settlement and beleaguered separate legal action, though, the deadline is Oct. 6.