Google Wins Dismissal of Suit Over Facial Recognition Software
- Judge cites lack of ‘concrete injuries’ to plaintiffs in case
- Victory comes amid public backlash over handling of user data
An attendee demonstrates a Google Inc. Pixel 3 smartphone.
Photographer: Jeenah Moon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A lawsuit filed against Google by users who said the world’s largest search engine violated their privacy by using facial recognition technology was dismissed by a judge on Saturday.
U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang in Chicago cited a lack of “concrete injuries” to the plaintiffs. The suit, initially filed in March 2016, alleged Alphabet Inc.’s Google collected and stored biometric data from photographs using facial recognition software, running afoul of a unique Illinois law against using a person’s image without permission.