Microsoft Teams Hit With Illinois Lawsuit Alleging Illegal Voice Data Collection

Microsoft is being sued in Illinois over claims that its Teams platform illegally collects and analyzes users’ voice data without obtaining the necessary consent. The lawsuit, filed by five Illinois residents, centers on Teams’ real-time transcription feature, which captures unique voice characteristics – “voiceprints” – to identify speakers. Plaintiffs argue this violates the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), which requires companies to inform users about biometric data collection, its purpose, storage duration, and obtain written permission.

The complaint alleges Microsoft failed to provide adequate notice or obtain consent before recording and storing voiceprints during meetings, starting with the rollout of automated transcription in 2021. The process, known as diarization, separates and labels speakers, effectively creating biometric identifiers. Microsoft is also accused of linking these voice profiles to individual accounts, making the data personally identifiable.

If successful, the class action lawsuit could result in significant financial penalties for Microsoft, with potential damages ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per violation. This case is part of a growing trend of biometric privacy lawsuits as voice analysis and AI technologies become more prevalent, and its outcome could influence how companies handle speech recognition features in states with strong biometric privacy laws.

(Source：USA Herald)