Delivery Robots Accused of Unauthorized Biometric Data Collection

• •Two lawsuits filed against Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics for unauthorized biometric data collection.
• •Plaintiffs allege violations of Illinois' biometric privacy law, seeking damages for each violation.
• •Both companies deny wrongdoing and claim no biometric data has been collected in Chicago.

Two Chicago residents have filed separate class-action lawsuits against Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, alleging that their delivery robots scanned customers' faces and hands without consent, violating Illinois' biometric privacy law. The lawsuits claim that the robots utilized cameras and LiDAR sensors to capture detailed biometric data as customers approached to retrieve their orders. The plaintiffs assert that the companies did not provide notice or obtain consent for data collection, nor did they specify data retention policies. Both companies deny the allegations, stating they have not collected biometric data in Chicago. The lawsuits seek statutory damages of $1,000 per violation or $5,000 for intentional violations. The cases highlight growing concerns over privacy and the use of AI training data derived from such scans. As of now, the legal proceedings are ongoing.