Chicago Lawsuits Alleg Delivery Robots Harvest Biometric Data Without Consent
Two Chicago residents have filed class-action lawsuits against Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, alleging their delivery robots collect facial and hand biometrics via cameras and LiDAR without explicit consent. The suits claim this data, linked to personal identifiers, is sold to third parties like OpenAI for AI training, violating Illinois privacy laws. Both companies deny the allegations, which seek statutory damages of up to $5,000 per violation.
Key points
- Two separate class-action lawsuits were filed in Chicago against Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, alleging unauthorized collection of biometric data from customers using their delivery services.
- Plaintiffs claim the robots' external cameras and internal LiDAR systems scan faces and hands during delivery, capturing data that is then attached to personally identifiable information like names and addresses.
- The suits allege that this biometric data is retained and sold to third parties, including OpenAI, to train artificial intelligence systems, despite customers not explicitly opting into robot delivery.
- The legal cases hinge on the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), seeking statutory damages of $1,000 for negligent violations and $5,000 for intentional or reckless ones.
- Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, which provide delivery for platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats, have denied the allegations, arguing the data collection is disclosed in their terms.
- One suit specifically claims Coco Robotics failed to disclose that remote human operators could watch the scanning process in real-time, further complicating the privacy argument.
Two Chicago residents have initiated separate class-action lawsuits against Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, alleging that the companies' autonomous delivery robots collect customer biometric data without explicit consent. The plaintiffs argue that when customers interact with the robots to retrieve food or groceries, external cameras and internal LiDAR technology scan their faces and hands. This data is then linked to personally identifiable information, such as names and addresses, creating a detailed biometric profile.
The core of the legal dispute centers on the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The lawsuits claim that the robots are assigned to customers by delivery platforms like DoorDash and Uber Eats, even when the customer did not specifically request robotic delivery. Consequently, the plaintiffs argue that the collection of biometric data is a surprise rather than a choice. Furthermore, the suits allege that this data is not just stored but actively sold to third parties, including OpenAI, to train artificial intelligence models. One specific claim against Coco Robotics suggests that remote human operators can also view the scanning process in real-time, adding a layer of surveillance to the automated process.
Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics have responded by denying the allegations, suggesting that their disclosures adequately inform customers about data usage. The financial stakes are significant, with plaintiffs seeking statutory damages of $1,000 per negligent violation and $5,000 per intentional or reckless one. If the courts rule in favor of the plaintiffs, the outcome could force major changes in how autonomous delivery services handle user privacy, potentially impacting the broader adoption of AI-driven logistics in urban centers.
Sources
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