Chicago residents sue delivery robot companies over face scans

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 13:44 · Archive

Two Chicago men have filed lawsuits alleging that delivery robots scanned their faces and hands without consent.

Two Chicago residents have filed separate class-action lawsuits in Cook County court against Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, alleging the companies' delivery robots collected biometric data without consent. The men claim the machines scanned their faces and hands through cameras and LiDAR technology as they approached to retrieve their orders. They also allege the robots' video was monitored in real time by remote operators.

Mitchell Breidinger says he received a Coco robot delivery in September 2025 through DoorDash even though he had not selected robot delivery. Barry Schain received three Serve Robotics deliveries via Uber Eats, similarly without requesting robot delivery. Both allege the companies failed to inform them in writing that biometric data would be collected, how long it would be retained, or to obtain their written consent.

The lawsuits claim violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act and allege that video and sensor data are being retained and shared with AI companies for training purposes. The plaintiffs are seeking statutory damages of $1,000 per negligent violation or $5,000 per intentional or reckless violation. Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics have both denied the allegations. Serve stated it does not use data to identify individuals or create biometric profiles.

How it is being reported

• Lawsuits claim delivery robots recorded biometric data without permissionTwo lawsuits filed in Chicago claim that delivery robots carried out face and body scans without permission.TechRadar · 21 Oct, 13:24
• Battle over Chicago's delivery robots reaches the courts after outcry over alleged face scansA Coco spokesperson said the company is ‘confident that this frivolous lawsuit will go away’Independent Tech · 20 Oct, 21:40

In this story: Coco Robotics · Serve Robotics · Chicago · Mitchell Breidinger · Barry Schain · DoorDash · Uber Eats · Illinois

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