Snapchat $35 Million Illinois Biometric Privacy Settlement: Paid in January 2023, About $16.35 Each

The case is Boone, et al. v. Snap Inc., Case No. 2022LA000708, in the Circuit Court of the 18th Judicial Circuit, DuPage County, Illinois. Plaintiffs Brianna Boone, Ashley McClinton, and a minor, K.F.C., through her guardian Erin Rentfro, alleged that Snapchat's Lenses and Filters collected and stored users' biometric identifiers, such as face geometry, without complying with the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS 14).

BIPA requires companies to give written notice and get written consent before collecting biometric data, and to publish a retention policy. Under 740 ILCS 14/20, a person can recover $1,000 per negligent violation or $5,000 per intentional or reckless violation, or actual damages if greater, plus attorneys' fees. Those numbers are why BIPA suits against large platforms settle for tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Our BIPA explainer covers the law in more detail.

Snap denied all wrongdoing and said its Lenses and Filters use object recognition, not biometrics, with the data kept only on the user's device and deleted when the app closes. The court never decided who was right; the case settled.

The settlement class was all Illinois residents who used Lenses or Filters offered by Snap between November 17, 2015 and the date of the notice in 2022. The class period started November 17, 2015, and the claim deadline was November 5, 2022. Minors were included; the case was brought in part on behalf of a minor through her guardian.

To opt out, class members had to attest that they lived in Illinois for at least 183 days during the class period and used Lenses or Filters while living there, which shows the residency the settlement had in mind. Excluded were Snap, its officers, directors, and affiliates, the court and its staff, people who had already released or litigated these claims, and anyone who opted out by October 6, 2022.

People who used Snapchat only outside Illinois were not covered, because BIPA is an Illinois law.

Each claimant with a valid claim received an equal pro rata share of the fund after court-approved deductions:

Item	Amount
Settlement fund	$35,000,000
Attorneys' fees, costs, expenses	$12,250,000 (35%)
Service awards	$2,000 each (3 representatives)
Administration and taxes	Paid from the fund
Reported payment per claimant	$16.35

FOX 32 Chicago reported on January 23, 2023 that claimants said they received $16.35 each. When the settlement was announced in 2022, FOX 32 reported that individual amounts had not been determined and would depend on how many people filed. A large claim rate spread the roughly $22.7 million left after fees across far more people than those estimates assumed. Our guide to why payouts come in smaller than expected explains the pattern.

For comparison, the Facebook BIPA settlement paid Illinois claimants $397 each according to FOX 32's 2022 coverage.

Class members filed a claim form online or by mail, signed under penalty of perjury, by November 5, 2022. Payment options included check and electronic methods such as Venmo, PayPal, or a virtual prepaid card.

The court entered its final approval order on November 22, 2022, and payments to approved claimants went out on January 23, 2023. The administrator opened a check reissue form on February 23, 2023 for lost or undelivered checks. Electronic payments that failed after 30 days were converted to paper checks mailed to the claim address.

All checks had to be cashed within 120 days, by May 23, 2023. Under the final order, money from uncashed checks and failed deposits went to the Center for Disability and Elder Law as a cy pres award.

Event	Date
Class period start	November 17, 2015
Opt-out and objection deadline	October 6, 2022
Claim deadline	November 5, 2022
Final approval hearing	November 17, 2022
Final approval order	November 22, 2022
Payments issued	January 23, 2023
Check cashing deadline	May 23, 2023

As of September 2026, the Snapchat BIPA settlement is fully paid and closed, and the official settlement website is no longer online. We relied on archived copies of that site and the court's final order for the details above. See open versus closed settlements for how to tell whether a settlement can still be joined.

There is nothing left to claim. If you were an Illinois Lenses or Filters user and did not opt out by October 6, 2022, you released your BIPA claims against Snap tied to its alleged collection of biometric data, whether or not you filed a claim. An uncashed check from 2023 cannot be reissued now.

Biometric privacy claims against other companies are still being filed in Illinois. Our BIPA lawsuit page explains who may qualify, and a free case review can connect you with independent attorneys who handle them. Other large tech privacy settlements include the Facebook privacy settlement and the TikTok privacy settlement. See every open settlement you can still join.