Lawsuits Accuse Chicago Delivery Robot Companies of Scanning Customers' Faces Without Consent

Two Chicago customers have sued the companies behind the sidewalk food delivery robots operating in the city, alleging the machines scanned their faces and hands without consent in violation of Illinois' biometric privacy law.

The proposed class-action lawsuits, filed Oct. 9 in Cook County, accuse Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics of capturing customers' biometric data as they retrieve orders, then retaining it for artificial intelligence training and sharing it with third parties, according to the Chicago Sun-Times and Block Club Chicago. Both companies deny the allegations.

The allegations

The complaints allege that the robots' cameras and LiDAR sensors, a technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances and map surroundings, capture three-dimensional measurements of customers' faces and hands when they approach the machines to unlock compartments and retrieve orders. The suits also allege that the robots scan the faces, hands and bodies of other people they pass on Chicago sidewalks.

Mitchell Breidinger, a Near North Side resident, says he ordered groceries through DoorDash in September 2025 and never chose robot delivery, but his order was assigned to a Coco robot, according to his lawsuit as described by Block Club Chicago. He had to stand close to the machine to enter a code and retrieve his groceries. The suit alleges the robot's cameras recorded his face, head and hands while its sensors measured their geometry, and that a remote operator watched video of the delivery in real time. He says Coco did not tell him in writing that it would collect his biometric information, explain how long it would keep the data or obtain his written consent.

Barry Schain, a Lincoln Park resident, alleges a similar experience with Serve Robotics. He says he has received three deliveries from Serve robots, most recently on Oct. 4, when an Uber Eats order was assigned to a robot even though he had not selected robot delivery, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuits allege that customers' biometric measurements are stored alongside their names and addresses, linking the data to identifiable people. The complaint against Coco alleges that the company shares robot-collected data with OpenAI and other third parties for AI training. The complaint against Serve points to the company's disclosures about licensing video and LiDAR datasets to third parties to train their own models.

The law

Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, enacted in 2008, requires companies that collect biometric identifiers such as scans of face or hand geometry to provide written notice explaining what they collect, why and for how long; to obtain written consent; and to maintain a policy for retaining and destroying the data.

The suits seek statutory damages of $1,000 for each negligent violation or $5,000 for each intentional or reckless violation, along with court orders requiring the companies to comply with the law and payment of attorney fees and costs. The plaintiffs' lawyers did not immediately respond to the Sun-Times' requests for comment.

The companies' responses

Coco called the claims meritless. "This lawsuit fundamentally misunderstands our technology," Carl Hansen, Coco's head of government relations, said in a statement to the Sun-Times. "We have not collected biometric data in Chicago, and thus have never shared it with any third-parties, and are confident that this frivolous lawsuit will go away."

A Coco spokesperson told Block Club Chicago that "the data we share is navigational data used to make sidewalks safer for all users," citing real-time sidewalk hazard information the company provides to BlindSquare, a navigation app for people who are blind or have low vision. "We do not share data from the beginning or end of delivery trips under our data sharing partnerships," the spokesperson said.

A Serve spokesperson said the company would defend itself and that its robots use cameras and sensors to navigate sidewalks safely. "Serve does not use that data to identify individuals and our systems are not designed to identify individuals or create biometric profiles," the spokesperson said.

Growing scrutiny

The lawsuits add to scrutiny of robots that have become a regular sight on Chicago sidewalks. Chicago launched its delivery robot pilot program in 2022 under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Coco began operating in the city in late 2024 and Serve in September 2025. The program, overseen by the Chicago Department of Transportation and the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, is set to expire in May 2027 unless the City Council approves an extension, Block Club Chicago reported.

Residents have raised concerns about safety, accessibility, surveillance and the potential loss of delivery jobs. A petition started last year by Lincoln Park resident Josh Robertson, calling on the city to pause the program until officials release safety and accessibility data and hold a public hearing, had more than 4,500 signatures as of last month. In February, Ald. Daniel La Spata rejected plans to expand the robots across much of his 1st Ward after more than 83 percent of residents who responded to an online survey strongly opposed the expansion. The city has also created a 311 category for complaints about the devices.

In March, a Serve robot smashed through the glass of a CTA bus shelter in West Town, and days later a Coco robot collided with another shelter in Old Town. Both companies said they were investigating and took responsibility for repair costs. In September, a video showing more than a dozen Coco robots apparently circling one another and getting stuck on a Lincoln Park sidewalk drew hundreds of thousands of views.

The companies have defended the robots as a safer, more sustainable option for short-distance deliveries that can reduce car trips and congestion.