You never know who you'll attract when signing up for a dating app. And if you're asked to provide certain biometric information (such as a fingerprint or a facial scan) in order to use your account, your suitors may have law degrees.

This is because in Illinois, gathering this kind of information violates the Biometric Information Protection Act (BIPA), and affected consumers may be able to recover monetary awards by participating in class action lawsuits or mass arbitrations led by enterprising attorneys.

Recently, attorneys working for Millberg LLC asserted that the dating app Bumble may have illegally collected users’ facial geometries when they uploaded a selfie to confirm they matched their photos. Bottom line: If you're an Illinois resident who uploaded a selfie to verify your Bumble profile, you could be able to join a mass arbitration.

The award amounts per person can vary, but the minimum penalty for violating Illinois's Biometric Information Protection Act is $1,000 and can go as high as $5,000.

As a “mass arbitration” this case involves thousands of consumers bringing individual arbitration claims against the same company at the same time and over the same issue. This is different from class action litigation and takes place outside of court, but CCC is ready to help you.

Please contact us if you are an Illinois resident who used Bumble’s facial verification feature when on the app: oreyes@certificateclearing.com or 773-849-3121.