Chicago delivery robots face lawsuits over alleged illegal collection of biometric data

Delivery robots operated by Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics are facing lawsuits in Chicago over allegations that they collected facial and hand measurements without customers’ consent, raising concerns about privacy and the use of personal data in automated deliveries.

The lawsuits were filed on October 9, 2026, in Cook County, Illinois. According to The Associated Press, the plaintiffs allege that the companies collected biometric information through cameras and sensors and retained or shared data to help train artificial intelligence systems.

Mitchell Breidinger filed a lawsuit against Coco Robotics, while Barry Schain sued Serve Robotics. Schain said he received three deliveries from Serve, the most recent on October 4 through Uber Eats, despite not having selected robotic delivery.

Both companies deny the allegations. Serve said its cameras and sensors are used to navigate sidewalks safely and are not designed to identify individuals or create biometric profiles.

Coco Robotics government relations representative Carl Hansen also denied collecting biometric data in Chicago and said the company had never used LiDAR technology in the city. Coco stated that it shares anonymized navigation data to improve safety but does not share video from the beginning or end of delivery routes.

The lawsuits invoke Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), which regulates the collection of certain biometric identifiers, including scans of facial and hand geometry. The law excludes photographs from its definition of biometric identifiers, meaning that the use of a camera alone does not necessarily establish a violation.

The plaintiffs are seeking statutory damages of $1,000 for each negligent violation or $5,000 for each intentional or reckless violation, along with other potential relief. Those amounts are not guaranteed payouts and would depend on the legal findings in the cases.

The allegations have not been proven in court, and the lawsuits remain subject to judicial resolution.