Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics sued in Chicago over delivery-bot data collection
Chicago residents have filed separate lawsuits against delivery robot companies Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, alleging their sidewalk robots used onboard cameras and LIDAR sensors to capture biometric data—including images of hands, bodies, and faces—without consent. One plaintiff says a human operator remotely watched his delivery, while another claims his data could be retained for AI training or shared with third parties. Coco has called the suit against it frivolous, denying it collected biometric data in Chicago.
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The cases suggest that scrutiny of surveillance technology is expanding beyond license-plate readers like Flock cameras to the sensor-laden robots increasingly used for last-mile delivery. If courts find that navigational sensors constitute biometric collection under laws like Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, it could force delivery robot operators to rethink data practices nationwide. The outcome may also shape how companies disclose and obtain consent for automated systems that inherently record bystanders rather than just customers.
- Two Chicago lawsuits target Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics over alleged unconsented biometric data collection by delivery robots.
- Plaintiffs say they never requested robot deliveries and didn't consent to being recorded by cameras or LIDAR sensors.
- Coco disputes the claims as frivolous, saying it only shares navigational data, not biometric information.
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Published there as: “Are Delivery Robots Scanning You Into a Database Scarier Than Flock?”
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