--- title: "Are Delivery Robots Scanning You Into a Database Scarier Than Flock?" description: "A pair of lawsuits from Chicago residents allege that delivery robots recorded and stored people's data without their consent." date: "2026-10-25" modified: "2026-10-25" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison.md" url: "https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/delivery-robots-database-flock" categories: - "Future Society" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "delivery robots" --- # Are Delivery Robots Scanning You Into a Database Scarier Than Flock? ![A Serve delivery robot is shown navigating a sidewalk.]() *Shutterstock / Walter Cicchetti* For all the controversy they've caught this year, Flock cameras only collect and store license plate data from passing vehicles. But the WALL-E-esque delivery robots now trundling through America's cities are bristling with cameras and sensors that help them navigate the bustling world around them as they make their way to customers' doorsteps — and according to a pair of new lawsuits, you might be coughing up sensitive data in exchange for your dinner. According [to reporting by the *Associated Press*](), delivery robot companies Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics have been hit with similar lawsuits from Chicago residents claiming that their bots are illegally collecting sensitive biometric data. The lawsuits claim that the robots have used embedded cameras and LIDAR sensors to record information about Chicago residents' hands, bodies, and faces as they approach their deliveries. In both cases, the plaintiffs allege that they didn't request or consent to a robot delivery. Because they didn't ask for a robot delivery, they argue, they certainly didn't consent to being recorded or their data being collected by the delivery machines. The plaintiff in the case against Coco further also alleges that a remote human operator watched his delivery as it happened. The plaintiff in the case against Serve, meanwhile, claims that the delivery robot he encountered collected and retained his data as he collected his Uber Eats order. His lawsuit also raises the concern that the data could be used to train AI or handed to third parties. Both companies have disputed the claims. Coco, saying that privacy is a top priority, told the *AP* that the litigation against it is "frivolous," and that "this lawsuit fundamentally misunderstands our technology, we have not collected biometric data in Chicago." "The data we share is navigational data used to make sidewalks safer for all users," Coco told the *AP*. "For example, we provide real-time sidewalk hazard information to BlindSquare, a navigation app built for people who are blind or have low vision. We do not share data from the beginning or end of delivery trips under our data sharing partnerships. Privacy and compliance with the law are top priorities in everything we do." Serve, for its part, told the *AP* that it plans to "defend against" the legal action. "Serve does not use that data to identify individuals and our systems are not designed to identify individuals or create biometric profiles," Serve's statement continued, per the report. Illinois has [uniquely strong laws]() against the nonconsensual collection of [biometric data](), so it's not surprising to see cases like these brought in Chicago. As [*Gizmodo* notes](), Chicago has also seen a [surge of the delivery bots]() over the past few years, causing frustration and annoyance among many in the city. Regardless of how the cases shake out, the fact remains: the more automated our lives are, the more likely it is that sensitive information — about our lives and behaviors, and even our bodies — is going to be swallowed up, stored somewhere, and used in ways that we have no control over. **More on data and surveillance:** *["Customer Surveillance" Startup Says "Every Company Will Soon Assign an AI Agent to Every Customer to Watch Their Every Move"]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()