Complaint Alleges Violations of Illinois Biometric Privacy Law

Three consumers had their “unique, biometric voiceprints” collected without their consent when they contacted call centers using Amazon Web Services and Pindrop Security voice authentication technologies, violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), alleged a complaint (in Pacer) Friday in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delaware. The suit seeks class-action status on behalf of others who made similar call center contacts. Plaintiffs suffered “significant damage” because their biometric data was “intercepted, collected, and disseminated without their knowledge or consent," substantially increasing the likelihood "they will suffer as victims of fraud and/or identity theft,” said the complaint. It seeks $5,000 in statutory damages for each “intentional and reckless” BIPA violation. AWS and Pindrop didn’t respond to questions Monday.