If you lived in Illinois between 2015 and 2022 and appeared in a picture on Google Photos, Google might be giving you a check soon.
The search giant has recently agreed to pay $100 million in a settlement agreement regarding a class-action lawsuit in Illinois over data privacy concerns from Google Photos app users, per Gizmodo.
The class-action lawsuit was filed sometime in 2019, per the submitted court document
Google vs. Illinois Class-Action Lawsuit Details
According to the plaintiffs of the class-action lawsuit, Google broke the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act, and that the company has been actively collecting, storing, and using the biometrics of millions of individuals in Illinois without informing them. They also added that these biometrics, which inclue face scans of people of which Google is based sued for, are uploaded to Google Photos.
Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act states that any private company collecting biometrics must have a publicly available written policy that states the duration the data will be kept and how it would be destroyed at the end of its life.
The law also states that no private entity may collect, capture, purchase, receive through trade, or otherwise obtain a person's or a customer's biometric identifier or biometric information unless it informs the person in writing or that the person consents to the collection.
According to NBC Chicago, Google did not respond to its request for comment. Instead, Google stated it did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement agreement and denied the claims made in the lawsuit.
How To Get A Part Of Google's Settlement Money
The class-action lawsuit resulted in a settlement agreement of $100 million, which Illinois residents can file a claim for a cut. However, an Illinois resident can only file for a claim of Google $100 million if they appeared in a picture on Google Photos between May 1, 2015 and April 25, 2022.
If you are one of those pesons, you can mail in a claim using the form on the settlement's website before September 24. All claims must be submitted by then to be eligible for payment.
The final payout per person will depend on the number of claims filed. However, if everyone who had their face appear on the Google Photos app filed a claim, everyone is likely to receive between $200 and $400 of Google $100 million settlement money. This payout is the amount after court fees, costs, and expenses are decucted.
"No one knows in advance how much each valid claim payment will be until the deadline for submitting claims passes and the Court awards the Fee and Expense Award and Service Payments," the settlement website stated.
Eligible persons could receive their payout within 90 days after the final approval hearing, which is scheduled on Sept. 29 at 10:30 AM. However, attorneys warn that Google could still petition for an appeal, which could delay the payout.
