Illinois Snapchat Users: Deadline Is Near In Class Action Lawsuit

Another day, another chance for some Illinois residents to be on the receiving end of a settlement check from a big tech company that, although they're admitting no wrongdoing, crossed the line with Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, also known as BIPA.

If you, or someone you know is (or was) a Snapchat user, read on for details on how you can be part of a $35 million settlement (but the time to file is getting short).

For Those Who Don't Know, Snapchat Is A Wildly Popular Video Sharing App Where Users Can Apply Filters And Lenses To Their Videos Before Posting Or Sharing

And those filters and lenses are at the center of the problem with Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). As TopClassActions.com explains:

BIPA requires companies to take certain steps to guard biometric data, including obtaining written consent before collecting such information and providing written guidelines for how the information will be stored and destroyed.

The Illinois BIPA class action lawsuit alleges that Snap Inc, the parent company of Snapchat, "possesses, collects and discloses biometric data through Snapchat’s lenses and filters, thereby not complying with BIPA."

There's Been A Lot Of Paying Out Lately In Illinois By Big Tech Companies That Have Had BIPA Problems, With More To Come

We recently saw more than a million Illinoisans getting a chunk of a $650 million settlement with Facebook, Google is going to pay out $100 million to 500,000 Illinoisans, TikTok is poised to settle up a $92 million settlement, and we've got Snapchat here with a $35 million payout.

Walmart, Home Depot, Amazon, and others have also been accused of violating BIPA.

Illinois Snapchat Users, If You Want A Bucket Like The One Above (Your Results And Bucket May Vary), Here's How To Get Involved

First off, you'll need to know if you're eligible to file a claim.

According to the settlement's website, any Illinois resident who used Snapchat lenses or filters between November 17th, 2015, and now is eligible to submit a claim. Keep in mind that BIPA is an Illinois law, so only residents of Illinois are eligible.

The deadline to submit your claim is November 5th.

If you'd like to get involved, click here to be taken to the settlement website to fill out your claim form.