Harrah’s Casino located in Joliet, Illinois is facing a class-action lawsuit regarding facial recognition technology. The individual’s filing the lawsuit state that the technology is infringing upon their right to privacy. The lawsuit was filed by Anthony Adams and Leon Martin, with the ability to bring in other patrons who feel they are affected.
The lawsuit claims that the use of facial recognition software at the casino is violation of the Biometric Information Privacy Act of 2008 (BIPA) in Illinois. This is due to the implementation of the software without creating a written policy and providing it to the public.
Martin and Adams are regular customers of the casino and members of the rewards program offered by the parent company Caesars Entertainment. Both feel that the technology should not be used because Harrah’s didn’t state that biometric data was being collected and they did not seek consent or announce the use of the product. They also state that the casino was in the wrong because they did not create a policy stating how the data would be used or retained once collected.
If the lawsuit is won by the plaintiffs, then Harrah’s and Caesars will have to provide some type of compensation. Liquidated or monetary compensation is being sought, whichever is found to be higher. The company would have to pay for every violation of the BIPA that took place.
The plaintiffs cite other companies in Illinois who followed the requirements of BIPA. They state that Harrah’s was reckless or negligent in their violation of the Act.
The lawsuit will soon be heard in Will County and it might move on to the highest court in the state if a resolution is not found during the initial stages. According to attorneys in this case, due to the amount of time that has passed, the lawsuit may cover thousands of individuals affected by the facial recognition software.
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