Walmart sued for allegedly collecting voiceprints without consent in Illinois
Walmart was sued in Illinois in a class action complaint alleging it used AI to create voiceprints from customer service calls without obtaining written consent or adequately disclosing the purposes, reportedly violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
What happened
A class action complaint was filed in the Northern District of Illinois on Tuesday, August 7, 2026, alleging that Walmart uses artificial intelligence to create voice prints from customers who call into the Walmart customer service line.
According to the complaint, customers are told only that '[t]his call and your voice may be recorded for business purposes, including fraud prevention,' but are not informed in writing of the specific purpose of collecting and storing their biometric data, nor has the company obtained written consent to collect or share voice prints with third parties.
The suit was filed on behalf of Amber Smith, an Illinois resident who called her local Walmart store in December 2025 and July 2026, and was routed to Walmart's automated interactive voice system.
Reported impact
Plaintiff Smith expressed grave concern and upset about the collection of her biometric information, viewing it as surveillance without adequate consent.
Smith noted particular worry because she also uses her voiceprint to unlock confidential services such as bank accounts, which legally collect her voiceprint as a biometric identifier.
Index analysis
The plaintiffs contend that Walmart is violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, which requires companies to inform users in writing that their biometric identifier is being collected or stored.
The lawsuit alleges that Walmart has not disclosed what 'business purposes' beyond fraud prevention the voice prints are used for, or with whom those biometric identifiers are being shared.
Governance controls
Walmart's privacy policy acknowledges that it collects biometric information when customers contact the company in accordance with applicable law.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.