If you’re an Illinois resident and you’ve used the social media site Instagram in the last eight years, you could be entitled to compensation from a proposed class-action settlement involving the company.
According to a press release, the suit was filed in the 18th Judicial Circuit Court in DuPage County, and stemmed from alleged violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
That act prohibits companies from collecting and storing biometric information, and has been cited in lawsuits against numerous platforms, including Facebook and Snapchat. The Facebook suit was settled in 2020, with members of the class-action receiving a pair of payments related to the lawsuit.
A settlement reached in the case potentially impacts all Illinois residents who used Instagram at any point between Aug. 10, 2015 and Aug. 16, 2023, according to lawyers involved with the suit.
The settlement fund of $68.5 million will be used to pay for payments to users, administration expenses, all taxes, and any fees awarded to lawyers and class representatives, according to the release.
Those Illinois residents who used the social media site must complete a claim form at this website by Sept. 27, 2023.
Those residents who do not want to be bound to the terms of the settlement must submit a letter requesting that exclusion by Aug. 16.
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Residents who want to stay in the settlement class, but want to object to the settlement or the payouts associated with the settlement, must file an objection with he court by Aug. 16.
A final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for Oct. 11, with a decision by the court to follow that date.
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More information can be found on the class action’s website.
