# Revolut faces Illinois BIPA class action over selfie identity checks Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-incidents/revolut-2023-illinois-biometric-id-suit Last updated: Oct 21, 2026 Revolut · Governance finding · severity 1 of 5 A proposed class action filed in Cook County, Illinois, in December 2023 alleges that Revolut breaks Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) in its sign-up process. According to Banking Dive and Finextra, applicants submit a photo of their ID and a selfie, and facial recognition software checks that they show the same person. The suit claims Revolut collects and stores this biometric data without the written consent BIPA requires, does not disclose third-party involvement, and has no public policy on how long the data is kept or when it is destroyed. Biometric Update reported that Revolut uses Onfido for these checks. Revolut declined to comment. No outcome has been reported as of October 2026. ## Key facts | | | | --- | --- | | Date | Dec 2023 (disclosed Jan 3, 2024) | | Institution | Revolut | | Country | United States | | AI system | Facial recognition matching a selfie to an ID photo during account sign-up · vendor: Onfido (per Biometric Update) | | AI? | Machine-learning system (inferred from the record) — The sources describe a machine-learning model; nobody on the record labelled it AI. | | Category | Litigation (Governance finding) | | Status | Court filing | | Severity | 1 of 5 — Contained: privacy-law allegations by a single proposed class with no finding, no reported data exposure and no customer losses; no outcome has been reported. | ## What happened? In December 2023 a Revolut customer filed a proposed class action against Revolut in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, under the Biometric Information Privacy Act. According to Finextra, applicants for a Revolut account submit photographs of their ID and a selfie, and "facial recognition software is then used to ensure the two images are the same person." Biometric Update reported that Revolut uses face biometrics from Onfido for these know-your-customer checks. [1][2][3] The complaint alleges that Revolut collects and stores users' biometric data without the written consent BIPA requires. It also alleges that Revolut does not disclose third parties' part in the verification process, and has no public policy on how long it keeps biometric data, why, and how and when it is destroyed. It seeks a declaration that Revolut's conduct violates BIPA, an order stopping the collection, and statutory damages of $1,000 per negligent and $5,000 per reckless violation over the preceding five years. [1][2] Plaintiff's counsel told Banking Dive he "would not be surprised if IL accounts for at least 10K users." Biometric Update noted that Revolut's US arm is registered in Delaware and based in New York with no Illinois offices, so jurisdiction could be contested. [1][3] ## Timeline - Dec 2023 — A proposed BIPA class action against Revolut is filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. [1] - Jan 3, 2024 — The suit is first reported; Biometric Update notes that Revolut uses Onfido face biometrics for KYC. [3] - Jan 10, 2024 — Banking Dive and Finextra report the case; Revolut declines to comment. [1][2] ## What was the impact? - Customers: The proposed class is Illinois residents who went through Revolut's selfie identity check; plaintiff's counsel estimated at least 10,000 Illinois users. No data breach or financial loss is alleged. [1] ## How did Revolut respond? A Revolut spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, according to Banking Dive. No later public statement was found as of 2026-10-21 in a web search of news coverage of the case. [1] ## What was the outcome? No outcome has been reported. As of 21 October 2026 we found no ruling, settlement or dismissal in news coverage, and no federal docket for the case on CourtListener; the Cook County docket (2023CH09951) could not be checked online. No regulator has acted. [1] ## FAQ ### Why is Revolut being sued in Illinois? A proposed class action filed in Cook County in December 2023 alleges that Revolut's sign-up check, which uses facial recognition to match a selfie to an ID photo, collects biometric data without the written consent, disclosures and public retention policy required by Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act. ### Did Revolut lose customer data or money? No breach or financial loss is alleged. The suit concerns how biometric data is collected, disclosed and retained, and seeks statutory damages of $1,000 per negligent and $5,000 per reckless violation, plus an order stopping the collection. No court has found a violation. ### Is Revolut's identity check AI? The reporting describes facial recognition software comparing a selfie with an ID photo, which Biometric Update says is supplied by Onfido. That is machine-learning-based face matching, but neither Revolut nor the court record calls it AI, so the AI link here is inferred from the record. ### What happened to the Revolut BIPA case? No outcome had been reported as of October 2026. Revolut declined to comment when the suit was filed, and we found no later ruling, settlement or dismissal in news coverage or federal dockets. The Cook County docket could not be checked online. ## Sources 1. [Revolut hit with biometric ID class action in Illinois](https://www.bankingdive.com/news/revolut-hit-biometric-identification-class-action-illinois/704231/) — Banking Dive, Jan 10, 2024 (news): "A spokesperson for Revolut declined to comment on the lawsuit." 2. [Revolut faces US class action suit over biometric data collection](https://www.finextra.com/newsarticle/43508/revolut-faces-us-class-action-suit-over-biometric-data-collection) — Finextra, Jan 10, 2024 (news): "When applying to become a Revolut customer, users submit photographs of their ID and a selfie. Facial recognition software is then used to ensure the two images are the same person." 3. [Rejecting BIPA settlement with Google, some plaintiffs regroup for new suit](https://www.biometricupdate.com/202401/rejecting-bipa-settlement-with-google-some-plaintiffs-regroup-for-new-suit) — Biometric Update, Jan 3, 2024 (news): "Revolut uses face biometrics from Onfido to perform KYC checks during customer onboarding …" ## Related incidents - [Coinbase sued under Illinois BIPA over face-scan identity verification](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-incidents/coinbase-2023-biometric-face-scan-suits) All AI incidents at banks: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-incidents --- Canonical page: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-incidents/revolut-2023-illinois-biometric-id-suit Part of [BankingNewsAI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/) — the register of AI incidents at banks: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/ai-incidents. Markdown versions of every reference page: append `.md` to the page URL; index at https://www.bankingnewsai.com/llms.txt.