ACLU-IL

Call Your State Representative – Help Protect Personal Privacy

The use of biometric information – fingerprints, an iris scan, a voiceprint or a scan of a unique facial feature – no longer is the stuff of science fiction. Today, biometric information is used by grocery stores, banks, gas stations and employers to identify individual customers and employees.

Yet, as the use of this personal information expands, state law offers little protection to consumers in protecting this vital identifier that, if stolen, could increase the likelihood of identity theft. The Illinois House shortly will consider Senate Bill 4000 (sponsored by Representative Kathleen Ryg) creates uniform protections for all private entities that use biometrics of their customers and employees. Additionally, the bill creates a statewide task force to study and recommend specific regulations for state and local government in using biometric information.

Please call (217) 782-2000 and ask your state representative to support Senate Bill 4000.

Currently, one of the few biometric protections offered under Illinois law protects the use of biometrics by schools in managing their lunch program. The General Assembly requires parental permission for the collection of a child’s biometric information and mandates that the information be destroyed when the child leaves the school. Yet the law does not protect the collection of biometric information of thousands of Illinoisans by a private entity.

Please call (217) 782-2000 and ask your state representative to support House Bill 4000.

You can read more about Senate Bill 4000 at http://www.aclu-il.org/legislative/alerts/bipa.pdf.

If you are not certain about who represents your State Representative district, you can look up your State Representative at http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/SelectSearchType.aspx?NavLink=1.