Checks are in the mail for more than a million Illinois Facebook users as part of a seven-year, $650 million Class Action Lawsuit against the company, according to the suit's settlement administrator.
Class members allege the company broke the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act by collecting and storing biometric data -- physical characteristics -- of users without their consent, through things like facial recognition technology.
Facebook users might more commonly know this as "Tag Suggestions" notifications.
Additionally, the Chicago tribune reports that last week the company removed some of its augmented reality effects and applications, such as avatars and filters, from Facebook and Instagram in Illinois, "to prevent meritless and distracting litigation under laws...based on a mischaracterization of how our features work.”
According to the suit, checks between $200-$400 started getting mailed out May 9.
Here's how to find out if you're a Class Member, how much your check will be for if you're due to receive one, and more.
How to Know if You'll Get a Payout
Local
According to the settlement website, “Facebook users located in Illinois for whom Facebook created and stored a face template after June 7, 2011” are eligible for a payout.
To have filed a valid claim under the Settlement, you must have lived in the State of Illinois for a period of at least 183 days (6 months).
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
The deadline to file a claim form was November 23, 2020.
If you did not file a claim by that date — even if you are an Illinois Facebook user, and meet the above above criteria—you are not a Class Action Member, and you will not receive a payout.
How Much Money Will I Get?
If you are a Class Member that filed filed a claim by the deadline, you should receive approximately $200 to $400 per person from the $650 million Settlement Fund, the settlement website states.
More specifically, the document titled "Order re: Final Approval, Attorneys' Fees and Costs, And Incentive Awards" dated Feb. 26, 2021 states that "it is one the largest settlements ever for a privacy violation, and it will put at least $345 into the hands of every class member interested in being compensated."
When Will I Receive My Check?
Payments started getting mailed out to members on May 9, 2022.
"It will take about two weeks to finish mailing the checks and processing the electronic payments," the settlement website states.
"If you are expecting a payment but haven't yet received it, we ask that you wait until mid-June before making an inquiry."
Are All Illinois Facebook Users Included in the Lawsuit?
According to the settlement website, Facebook's records were used to identify certain Class Members. Those people should have received notice through email or on Facebook.
You might have gotten a notice if you are a current or former Facebook user in Illinois who uploaded a photograph of yourself or were "tagged" in a photograph on Facebook after June 7, 2011.
If photographs of you that were uploaded to Facebook after June 7, 2011 did not result in the creation of a face template while you lived in Illinois, you are not part of the Class.
Not everybody in Illinois who uses Facebook is included.
I Don't Remember If I Filed a Claim, or got a Notification. How Can I Find Out If I am Included?
Here's who to call to confirm, or get help:
- Settlement Administrator: 1-844-799-2417
- Edelson PC, lawyer appointment to the case: 1-866-354-3015
- Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, lawyer appointed to the case: 1-800-449-4900
- Labaton Sucharow LLP, lawyer appointed to the case: 1-888-219-6877
What the Illinois Facebook Lawsuit Says, and How Facebook Responded
According to the Settlement Administrator, "Facebook users in Illinois sued Facebook claiming that its “Tag Suggestions” feature and other features involving facial recognition technology, violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
That law, passed in 2008, says companies are not allowed to collect, store, or give out "biometric data," which includes things like face or fingerprint scans, without first giving notice and obtaining personal consent. The act also requires companies to specify how the information would be retained, and when it would be destroyed
This case alleges that Facebook specifically broke the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act by using facial recognition technology to create face templates that can be used to identify users in photos without the proper notice and consent.
Facebook denies all allegations of wrongdoing and liability.
Facebook changed its technology in 2019, replacing the tool with a broader facial recognition setting, which was turned off by default. The website announced it would shut down its recognition software entirely in 2021.
Facebook denies all allegations of wrongdoing and liability.
More information can be found about the lawsuit here.
