Plaintiffs have filed over 750 class actions alleging violations of Illinois’ pioneering Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), with 55 new suits arriving in January 2021. This first article in a two-part series on biometric privacy looks at the latest litigation twists in BIPA class actions, and includes commentary from lawyers at Blank Rome, Lewis Brisbois, Nixon Peabody, and Winston & Strawn about recent rulings on key BIPA issues, the newer generation of cases, settlement dynamics, and rulings to watch. Part two will provide guidance on how to address biometrics in contracts and compliance programs, and how to handle insurance coverage issues related to biometrics. See our three-part series on the rise of facial recognition technology: “Uses and Risks” (Jan. 22, 2020); “Mapping the Legal Framework” (Jan. 29, 2020) and “Mitigating Risk” (Feb. 5, 2020).