This company stole and sold the personal information of dead people | Legacy Touch

Legacy Touch along with a small group of funeral homes are accused of secretly collecting fingerprints from deceased individuals without obtaining consent from their families, violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).

This case highlights the dangers of unchecked corporate greed, the exploitation of vulnerable populations, and the failure to uphold ethical standards in industries that deal with sensitive matters like death and mourning.

Exploiting Grief for Profit

Legacy Touch and its partner funeral homes have allegedly breached the trust placed in them by grieving families.

These companies are accused of manipulating the remains of deceased individuals to collect their fingerprints without informing or obtaining consent from their next of kin.

The biometric data was then used to market fingerprint-engraved jewelry and keepsakes, bombarding families with unsolicited advertisements during their time of mourning.

This practice is not only a violation of privacy laws but also a profound betrayal of the ethical obligations funeral homes owe to their clients.

Families entrust funeral providers to handle their loved ones’ remains with dignity and respect.

Instead, these corporations allegedly prioritized profit over compassion, exploiting grieving families for financial gain.

This breach of trust underscores the urgent need for stricter enforcement of laws governing corporate behavior in sensitive industries.

The Dangers of Biometric Data Misuse

Biometric data, such as fingerprints, is uniquely personal and immutable. Unlike passwords or other forms of identification, biometric data cannot be changed once compromised.

The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) was enacted to protect individuals from unauthorized collection and misuse of their biometric information.

It requires companies to obtain informed written consent before collecting or using biometric data and mandates the development of retention schedules and destruction policies for such data.

Legacy Touch’s alleged actions highlight the dangers posed by corporations that disregard these legal requirements. By failing to inform families or obtain consent, these companies not only violated BIPA but also exposed families to potential identity theft and emotional distress.

The commodification of biometric data for profit represents a growing threat that demands immediate attention from regulators and policymakers.

Emotional Damage

The emotional impact on families affected by these practices is profound.

Plaintiffs in this case describe feelings of betrayal upon learning that their loved ones’ fingerprints were taken without consent and used for marketing purposes. Or in other words, Legacy Touch was so brazen that they openly paid money to tell the world about the personal data they were stealing.

Receiving unsolicited emails promoting fingerprint keepsakes served as a painful reminder of their loss while underscoring the unethical nature of these practices.

For many families, this exploitation adds another layer of trauma to an already difficult grieving process.

The knowledge that their loved ones’ remains were manipulated for profit is not only distressing but also deeply offensive to societal norms surrounding death and mourning.

This case exemplifies just one of the many ways in which corporate greed can inflict lasting emotional harm on vulnerable populations.

Corporate Greed vs. Consumer Rights

The actions of Legacy Touch and its partner funeral homes epitomize corporate greed at its worst—prioritizing profits over ethical responsibilities and consumer rights. By monetizing biometric data without consent, these companies have demonstrated a blatant disregard for both the law and basic human decency.

This case raises questions about the role of corporations in society:

Should businesses be allowed to exploit vulnerable populations for financial gain? How can regulatory frameworks be strengthened to prevent such abuses? These questions demand urgent attention from policymakers, regulators, and consumers alike.

Systemic Failures in Regulation

Despite existing regulations like BIPA and the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule—which requires transparency in pricing and prohibits deceptive practices—Legacy Touch and its partner funeral homes allegedly found ways to circumvent their legal obligations.

For example, the law requires corporations to remove biometric from their servers after a certain period of time… but did Legacy Media follow through with their deletions? No (allegedly)! They (allegedly, again) stored the biometric data of deceased loved ones indefinitely.

Biometric privacy laws like BIPA are a step in the right direction but must be accompanied by stringent enforcement measures.

Companies that violate these laws should face significant penalties—not just as a deterrent but also as a means of compensating victims for their emotional and financial harm.

Corporate Ethics Under Scrutiny

This case is not just about one company or one industry—it reflects broader issues inherent in neoliberal capitalism, where profit maximization often comes at the expense of ethics and accountability.

The commodification of biometric data is a growing concern across industries, from tech giants using facial recognition software to employers monitoring workers through biometric time clocks.

When corporations are incentivized to prioritize profits over consumer rights, abuses like those alleged against Legacy Touch become inevitable. Case in point, this story in which funeral homes allegedly received kickbacks every time someone bought one of their (Legacy Touch)’s services.

What Needs to Change?

To address the issues highlighted by this case, several steps must be taken:

• Stronger Enforcement: Regulatory agencies must have the resources and authority to enforce existing laws like BIPA effectively.
• Harsher Penalties: Companies that violate privacy laws should face significant financial penalties to deter future misconduct.
• Transparency Requirements: Businesses handling sensitive data must be required to disclose their practices clearly and obtain informed consent from consumers.
• Public Awareness: Consumers need better education about their rights under privacy laws like BIPA.
• Corporate Accountability: Stakeholders must demand ethical business practices from companies in which they invest.

A Call for Justice

By exploiting grieving families for profit, these companies have not only violated the law but also eroded public trust in an industry that should embody compassion and respect.

In an era where corporations wield immense power over our lives—including our most private moments—it is more important than ever to fight for corporate accountability, consumer advocacy, and social justice.

This story right here is exactly what happens when corporations are allowed to run amok.

Worse of all, this isn’t even an isolated incident! Similar acts of corporate misconduct also occurred in Florida and Massachusetts which seems to point to the exploitation of grieving families as a systemic issue.

Here’s some more evil corporations who stole personal information… though those corporations at least had the decency to steal from alive people, not the recently deceased:

https://evilcorporations.com/category/data-breach-privacy