(670 The Score) A lawsuit against the Blackhawks has been resolved that was previously brought forth by an Illinois man who alleged the organization illegally used facial recognition software at a game at the United Center in 2018 to obtain and store his biometric data, Rick Westhead of TSN reported Wednesday.
James Allen brought the complaint but has agreed to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit, the Blackhawks told TSN on Wednesday after more details on the lawsuit initially emerged.
“This matter has been resolved and plaintiff moves to dismiss this case with prejudice,” the court document read, TSN reported.
The lawsuit originally contended that the Blackhawks “scanned Mr. Allen’s facial geometry from security camera footage and stored a facial geometry template for Mr. Allen. The defendant failed to inform Mr. Allen in writing that it was collecting his biometric identifiers or information, the purpose and length of term for such collection, and failed to obtain their written consent before defendant collected his facial geometry scan,” according to documents acquired by TSN.
Illinois law stipulates that companies must “obtain written permission before collecting a person’s fingerprints, facial scans or other identifying biological characteristics,” TSN reported. Resident can sue companies for up to $5,000 per violation, according to the report.
The Blackhawks denied the claim in court documents, citing in part the legal language written on game tickets, TSN reported.