Delivery Robots Accused of Scanning Customers' Faces, Sharing Biometric Data

Two class-action lawsuits filed Oct. 9 in Cook County accuse Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics of scanning customers’ faces and hands without consent, alleging their delivery robots’ cameras and LiDAR measured biometric geometry and that remote operators watched video feeds in real time. Plaintiffs Mitchell Breidinger and Barry Schain say orders assigned to robots they did not choose required them to stand close to enter codes while being recorded; the suits claim the companies retain and link video and sensor data to names and addresses, share datasets with third parties (including, the suits allege, OpenAI) to train AI, and therefore violated the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act by failing to provide written notice, obtain written consent, or maintain retention and destruction policies. The complaints seek statutory damages of $1,000 per negligent violation or $5,000 per intentional or reckless violation, plus other relief.

Both companies deny collecting biometric information, saying sensors are used only for navigation and safety and pledging to defend against the suits; Coco describes shared data as navigational hazard information. The cases come amid growing local backlash over a city pilot that began in 2022 (Coco in late 2024, Serve in 2025) as residents raise safety, accessibility and surveillance concerns, start petitions and prompt aldermanic resistance, 311 complaint categories, and scrutiny after robots damaged bus shelters and went haywire on sidewalks.