Grundy Reporter

Significant changes to Illinois' controversial Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) took effect this week. The law, initially proposed to protect residents' biometric data, led to substantial unintended consequences, including multi-billion-dollar damage awards for situations not originally targeted by the act.

Legislation was recently signed into law amending the BIPA statute, aiming to reform digital privacy regulations and clarify the collection and use of biometric data in the state. This reform follows a suggestion from the Illinois Supreme Court in spring 2023 to address oversights in the original BIPA legislation.

Proponents argue that the new law aims to balance protecting individual privacy rights with reducing legal and financial burdens on businesses. However, State Senator Sue Rezin, who voted against the measure when it came before the Senate earlier this year, contends that the new law does not adequately address BIPA's shortcomings and ambiguities. Senator Rezin stated, "Rather than putting a Band-Aid on the issue, lawmakers should work together to reform BIPA to ensure that it protects citizens’ privacy while also ensuring businesses aren’t overly vulnerable or exposed to costly ambiguous interpretation."

Senate Bill 2979 was signed into law on August 2.