Lawsuit claims food delivery robots collect biometric data without consent
The class actions allege the robots recorded faces and hands without consent and shared biometric data to train artificial intelligence models.
- On October 9, two customers filed class-action lawsuits in Cook County against Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, alleging the companies illegally scanned customers' faces and hands without consent, violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
- Plaintiffs allege the robots' cameras and LiDAR sensors capture three-dimensional measurements of customers' hands and faces upon delivery. Companies retain this biometric data to train artificial intelligence models and share it with third parties, the lawsuits claim.
- Mitchell Breidinger of the Near North Side and Lincoln Park resident Barry Schain claim they received robot deliveries without selecting the option. Both allege their biometric information was recorded during these interactions without proper disclosure or consent.
- Both companies deny the allegations. Coco Robotics' spokesperson called the lawsuit "frivolous," stating the company does not collect biometric data, while Serve Robotics maintained its robots use cameras only to navigate sidewalks safely.
- The lawsuits occur amid broader scrutiny of the delivery robot pilot program. Josh Robertson, who leads a petition to halt the program, stated that privacy concerns are a primary driver of local opposition to the technology.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Chicago Sun Times
Usa newsLawsuits accuse Chicago delivery robot companies of collecting biometric data
Food delivery robots rolling along Chicago sidewalks are at the center of two lawsuits alleging the companies behind them are collecting customers’ biometric data without their consent.The proposed class-action lawsuits, filed Oct. 9 in Cook County, accuse Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics of violating Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act by scanning customers’ faces and hands as they retrieve food orders, then retaining the data for artif…
Block Club Chicago
BizTocDelivery Robots Accused Of Scanning Customers’ Faces, Sharing Biometric Data
CHICAGO — The battle over Chicago’s food delivery robots has reached the courts, with two customers accusing the companies behind them of collecting their biometric data without consent. The men filed separate class-action lawsuits in Cook County court Oct. 9 against Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, alleging the companies violated a state privacy law. They claim the companies’ machines scanned their faces and hands without their knowledge or co…
Lawsuits say some local delivery robots illegally collect data from humans
Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics sued in Chicago for alleged biometric data collection by delivery robots, violating Illinois privacy law. Companies deny collecting data. | WBBM Newsradio 780 AM & 105.9 FM
Chicago Tribune
The spokesman-ReviewTwo class-action lawsuits filed against food delivery robot companies for biometric privacy violations
The Chicago plaintiffs allege that delivery robots scan and store recordings of people's faces and hands, using them to train AI models and distributing to OpenAI and other third parties.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
