The Electronic Frontier Foundation has praised progress being made in Montana towards legislation that will protect a person's biometric data.The US state is considering a law similar to the Biometric Information Privacy Act in Illinois.”Legislatures around the country are beginning to acknowledge the threat to our privacy presented by companies collecting and using our biometric information-the physical and behavioral characteristics that make us unique, “the EFF wrote in a statement.”EFF formally supports Montana's House Bill 518, which would limit how our biometric information is collected, used, and shared.”Under the legislation, private entities, including corporations, would need written consent to capture or share a person's biometric information. They would also have to securely store it, and destroy it when the purpose for collection is completed. People could bring a private cause of action in court to enforce these critical privacy rules.”The danger to our privacy is growing commensurately with the development of sophisticated biometric technology. More and more companies are using biometrics, such as requiring our fingerprints to access amusement parks, or scraping social media for our faces.”The EFF said that it is not just a matter of a company using our biometrics to invade our privacy, but also the threat of data breaches that may allow criminals to use biometrics to break into our accounts and steal our identities.Last week, Planet Biometrics reported that following the lead set by Illinois, four other US states are now considering legislation related to biometric data. Since January 1, 2017, the Connecticut, New Hampshire, Washington, and Alaska legislatures have also proposed bills that would regulate the collection, retention, and use of biometric data, reports the National Law Review. There has been considerable legal action related to the Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act or BIPA in the past few years, with social media networks and software firms facing lawsuits related to biometric data enrolment or retention. That wave has included putative class actions against corporate defendants ranging from some of the largest social media and technology companies, such as Facebook, to a video game manufacturer and even a daycare center.

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