Truck Drivers Advance Data Privacy Lawsuit Against Union Pacific Over Biometric Data Collection
Truck drivers have achieved another legal victory in their data privacy lawsuit against Union Pacific Railroad. The lawsuit alleges that Union Pacific violated Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) by collecting fingerprint scans from truck drivers entering its intermodal facilities without obtaining their informed written consent. Additionally, the truckers claim the railroad failed to publish a data retention policy and shared their biometric information with a third party without permission. Union Pacific sought to dismiss the case, arguing it was exempt from BIPA due to contracts with state agencies. However, a federal district court judge denied this motion in August, and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed this decision on September 30, allowing the truck drivers' case to proceed. This is not the first BIPA-related lawsuit against Union Pacific; a similar class-action suit from 2020, which challenged the railroad's claim of federal preemption, is still pending. Other railway co...
