Apple wins U.S. biometric case over customer Touch ID and Face ID

The Illinois First District Appellate Court decided that iPhone maker Apple was not violating the state’s biometric laws with its Touch ID and Face ID features

January 06, 2023 04:14 pm | Updated 04:14 pm IST

File photo of iPhones by Apple, for representational purposes

File photo of iPhones by Apple, for representational purposes | Photo Credit: AP

iPhone maker Apple has won a case regarding its use of the Touch ID and Face ID features which let customers unlock their iPhones using their biometric data, according to Bloomberg Law and tech outlet Biometric Update.

(For insights on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, business, and policy, subscribe to our tech newsletter Today’s Cache.)

Late in 2022, the Illinois First District Appellate Court decided that Apple did not violate the state’s biometrics law, the Illinois Biometrics Information Privacy Act, or BIPA.

Apple’s win came after an appeals court ruling, which noted that customers chose to use the Touch ID/Face ID features and that Apple did not collect this data en masse.

If Apple had used the data for other purposes or stored it on external servers, Illinois’ BIPA law might have come into action. However, that was not the case. Furthermore, Apple users can lock and unlock their phones using options which do not involve submitting biometric data.

The proposed class action was filed by customer David Barnett in 2021.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.