Vimeo Accused of Violating Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act
Vimeo, a video platform, has been accused of violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) for illegally storing, collecting and using individuals' biometric indentifiers and biometric information without written consent.
According to the lawsuit, the Illinois Legislature has found that "biometrics are unlike other unique identifiers that are used to access finances and other sensitive information." The lawsuit defines biometric identifiers as any personal feature that is unique to an individual, including fingerprints, iris sans, DNA and "face geometry" among others. "For example, social security numbers, when compromised, can be changed. Biometrics, however, are biologically unique to the individual; therefore, once compromised, the individual has no recourse, is at heightened risk for identity theft, and is likely to withdraw from biometric-facilitate transactions," says the lawsuit.