New York Privacy Proposal Portends Potential Class Action Wave

Lawmakers in New York have proposed privacy legislation covering data from facial scans to fingerprints that could usher in a new wave of potentially costly class action lawsuits over alleged violations.

The Democrat-led bill, introduced in the state’s assembly Wednesday, would set rules for collecting and using biometric data, including a requirement to get consent. The measure is similar to proposals the state’s lawmakers have floated in past legislative sessions, though this time it comes amid a growing focus on facial recognition uses.

The measure echoes Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act. Like the Illinois law, the New York proposal, ...