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Woman files lawsuit against Target over biometric data collection

The popular retail chain is accused of collecting and storing customer data without consent, potentially violating the law.
Woman files lawsuit against Target over biometric data collection
Posted at 10:19 PM, Apr 17, 2024
and last updated 2024-04-17 22:19:26-04

A woman in Illinois has filed a lawsuit against U.S. retail giant Target accusing the company of allegedly collecting and storing an array of customer data without asking for permission. 

A report on the lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court accuses Target of possibly violating Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, saying that the company grabbed data from customers including facial recognition information and other biometric data, according to the court filing published by Fox 32

Scripps News reached out to Target for comment on the litigation but did not immediately receive a reply. 

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According to the court filing, lawyers said that the company "does not notify customers of this fact prior to store entry, nor does it obtain consent" before stores collect and store biometric data on its customers. 

The lawsuit says Target failed to comply with state laws requiring the company to inform customers of data collection, which requires written consent. 

Last year privacy concerns were raised after multiple retailers began introducing palm-scanning technology as a way to pay for goods and services. 

Sanchari Das, a cybersecurity and privacy expert said, "Biometric authentication has been there for a long time." 

Regarding biometric information, Das added, "People have to be all the more careful how it is implemented and how it is stored, and that is something that users don't know."


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