The deadline to file a claim in a class-action Facebook privacy settlement arrives Friday, and only eligible users who file a claim will be among those to receive a portion of the multi-million dollar payment.
The $725 million class-action settlement was reached with Facebook's parent company, Meta Platforms Inc. late last year and could mean money for certain users.
Anyone who was a U.S. Facebook user at any point between May 24, 2007 and Dec. 22, 2022 is eligible to file a claim.
The guidelines for the settlement were expanded to include even more users. But how much you could receive, and what you'll need in order to file a claim depends on several factors.
Eligible users have until Aug. 25, 2023, to file.
Meta is paying to settle a lawsuit that alleged the world’s largest social media platform allowed millions of its users’ personal information to become available to third parties without their permission and claimed the platform did not monitor or enforce third-party access to the data they received. That includes Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and went on to be used for political advertising on the platform.
The latest lawsuit and settlement is different from the $650 million class action settlement reached with Facebook in Illinois last year, which resulted in hundreds of dollars being paid out to more than a million residents. It is, however, one of several settlements involving social media platforms in Illinois. Another settlement currently accepting claims is one involving Instagram.
U.S. & World
Here's what to know:
Who is eligible to file a claim?
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Anybody who was a U.S. Facebook user at any point between May 24, 2007 and Dec. 22, 2022 is eligible to file a claim.
The eligibility guidelines for the settlement were expanded this summer to include even more users. But how much you could receive, and what you'll need in order to file a claim depends on several factors.
Under the latest update, individuals who held Facebook accounts during the class period of the lawsuit that are now deleted are also eligible to file a claim.
An email sent to Facebook account holders said that the change affects individuals who deleted one or more Facebook accounts in the class period of May 24, 2007 and Dec. 22, 2022 before creating a new Facebook account in the same period.
How do I file a claim?
Individuals hoping to receive a payment as part of the class-action settlement can file a claim here at any point through Aug. 25, 2023.
Those who are filing a claim for a deleted account are asked to do the following:
- Go to the Settlement Website
- Click on “Submit Claim.”
- Click the link located at the top of the page to edit your claim (“Filed A Claim? Click Here to Edit Your Claim”).
- Provide the Notice ID and Confirmation Code provided at the top of this notice in order to access and edit your claim.
- In the “Details” section of the form, proceed to the third question (“Are you filing a claim for a current account, a deleted account or a combination of both?”)
- Select from the options: “Current Account(s)”, “Deleted Account(s)” or “Both Current and Deleted Accounts.”
- Complete the information requested regarding your account(s), as applicable.
What do I need in order to file a claim?
In addition to providing some personal information, as well has the preferred method of payment, class-action members will be asked to submit their Facebook username, along with any phone numbers and email addresses associated with the account.
How to find your Facebook username
Your specific Facebook username can be found by logging onto your Facebook account, and then navigating to: “Account” > “Settings and Privacy” > “General Account Settings” > “Username.”
How much money could I receive in a payment?
The payment size for each individual ultimately depends on how long each person was a Facebook user and how many users ultimately file a claim before the deadline, the settlement administrator says.
Administrative and court costs will initially be deducted from the overall settlement total, creating a "net settlement fund," which payments will be paid out of from.
The amount each claimant receives will then be determined by the length of Facebook usage and number of overall claimants.
Each eligible claimant will be assigned "one point for each month" they had an activated Facebook account during that window. Once the total number of claimants and their points have been determined, along with the total settlement fund amount, each person will then receive a designated amount, multiplied by their total number of points.
Deadlines to know
Those who do not file a claim, opt out or object to the settlement are automatically part of the settlement, but are ineligible to receive a payment unless a claim is filed.
The deadline to file a claim is on Aug. 25, 2023.
The final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for Sept. 7, 2023 at 11 a.m. CDT.
More information about the newest settlement can be found here.
What to know about the allegations
The case sprang from 2018 revelations that Cambridge Analytica, a firm with ties to Trump political strategist Steve Bannon, had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the personal information of about 87 million users of the platform. That data was then used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 campaign that culminated in Trump’s election as the 45th president.
Uproar over the revelations led to a contrite Zuckerberg being grilled by U.S. lawmakers and spurred calls for people to delete their Facebook accounts.
Beyond the Cambridge Analytica case, Meta has been under fire over data privacy for some time. In May, for example, the EU slapped Meta with a record $1.3 billion fine and ordered it to stop transferring users’ personal information across the Atlantic by October. And the tech giant’s new text-based app, Threads, has not rolled out in the EU due to privacy concerns.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
