PimEyes sued in Illinois, USA, for privacy violations

A group of five Illinois residents filed a class-action lawsuit against PimEyes for collecting, scanning, and using their facial images, and those of millions of other Americans, without consent. 

The residents accused PimEyes of 'intentional or reckless' privacy abuse, and of violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) and causing them 'great and irreparable injury'. They also argued the company had failed to explain its data management policies.

The complaint, which seeks USD 15,000 for each resident harmed, named the company, its cofounders Lucasz Kowalczyk and Denis Tatina, and its current CEO Giorgi Gobronidze, as defendants.

BIPA makes it illegal for companies to collect or store data, including data about Illinois residents' faces, without their consent. It also states that visitors must be informed in writing of the specific purpose of why the biometric data is being collected, how long it will be stored, and that companies must receive a written release from visitors for the collection of biometric data.