Nine Tech Giants Face Hundreds of Millions in Damages Over Unauthorized Voice Data for AI Training

Tech Giants Face Major Legal Battle Over Voice Data in AI Training

Nine leading technology companies are confronting class action lawsuits in Illinois federal court over allegations they used recorded human voices without authorization to train AI systems1

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. Apple, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Samsung, Adobe, Alphabet, and ElevenLabs stand accused of violating the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act by harvesting thousands of hours of voice data2

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. The plaintiffs—a group of journalists, podcasters, and audiobook narrators including prominent Chicago journalist Carol Marin and Pulitzer Prize winners Yohance Lacour and Alison Flowers—are represented by Ross Kimbarovsky of Loevy & Loevy, who stated each defendant faces hundreds of millions of dollars in potential damages1

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Understanding BIPA and Its Implications for Biometric Data Usage

The Biometric Information Privacy Act establishes strict requirements for companies collecting biometric data from workers and consumers2

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. Under BIPA, organizations must inform individuals, obtain consent, and detail the scope and duration of data collection. The data privacy law also mandates written policies for destroying biometric data and prohibits its sale1

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. Despite Illinois narrowing penalties in 2024 following numerous lawsuits, companies still face $1,000 per negligent violation or $5,000 per intentional or reckless violation, applied per victim and for each subsection of the law2

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