$6M+ YouTube Settlement Ends Class Action Over Use of Facial Recognition Tech in Illinois

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An over $6.02 million settlement will resolve a class action lawsuit that alleged YouTube and Google violated an Illinois privacy law by collecting biometric information through YouTube’s Face Blur tool without users’ consent.

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The YouTube class action settlement received preliminary approval from the court on July 25, 2025 and covers the approximately 16,500 Illinois residents who uploaded a video to YouTube on which the Face Blur program was run.

The court-approved website for the YouTube settlement can be found at YouTubeFaceBlurBIPASettlement.com.

YouTube settlement class members who submit a timely, valid claim form will be able to receive a share of the $6,022,500 settlement fund, which the settlement website estimates will be approximately $200 per person.

To submit a claim form, class members must visit this page of the settlement website and enter the email address associated with their YouTube account to either submit the form online or receive a PDF form to print, fill out and mail back to the address listed here.

All claim forms must be submitted by November 30, 2025.

A hearing is set for December 30, 2025 to determine whether the settlement will receive final court approval. Payments will begin to be distributed to class members only after final approval has been granted and any appeals have been resolved.

The YouTube class action lawsuit claimed that the companies violated the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act by capturing and storing users’ biometric information, including facial geometries, through YouTube’s Face Blur without first obtaining the subjects’ written consent and providing required disclosures.

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