Illinois Resident Sued Anthropic Over Biometric Data
A class action lawsuit alleges that Anthropic violated Illinois law during the identity verification process for Claude.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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A Chicago resident has filed a class action lawsuit against AI company Anthropic, alleging violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. The complaint claims the company failed to obtain proper consent when collecting facial scans for identity verification.
Why it matters
The legal action highlights the strict compliance requirements of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act regarding the handling and destruction of sensitive facial geometry data. Companies relying on third-party verification must navigate these state regulations to avoid significant liability for data privacy failures.
The 15-page legal complaint covers a lookback period of five years for proposed class members. The lawsuit seeks a minimum of $1,000 in damages for each negligent violation and $5,000 for each intentional violation of state privacy statutes.
The players
Anthropic
Anthropic is an artificial intelligence research company headquartered in San Francisco that develops the Claude chatbot.
Persona Identities Inc.
Persona Identities Inc. is an identity verification vendor that manages screening processes for corporate clients.
Jose Enrique Ortiz Colon
Jose Enrique Ortiz Colon is the Chicago resident and plaintiff who initiated the class action lawsuit against Anthropic.
The details
The lawsuit alleges that Anthropic, through its vendor Persona Identities Inc., failed to provide written disclosures about the retention and destruction of biometric data. Users seeking to access the Claude chatbot are required to submit government-issued ID and a live facial scan, which the suit claims is processed without the necessary legal consent required by Illinois law.
Timeline
September 30, 2026: The class action lawsuit was filed in San Francisco County Superior Court.
Roadmap
This case reflects the ongoing friction between rapid AI development and stringent state-level privacy protections. As tech firms automate identity verification, they face increasing pressure to align their data architecture with legacy privacy regulations like the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Illinois residents who used Claude for identity verification within the last five years may be eligible to join the proposed class action suit. Users should review their account settings and privacy notifications to understand how their biometric data has been stored or handled by service providers.
The takeaway
Companies operating in Illinois must ensure their automated identity verification workflows include explicit disclosures about data retention and deletion. Consumers should remain vigilant about how their facial geometry data is collected and processed by third-party AI platforms.
Further reading
For more on the intersection of AI and privacy regulation, see our Artificial Intelligence section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Court House News Service.
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