Payments will be rolling out to eligible users over the next several weeks as part of $725 million settlement by Facebook's corporate parent, Meta.
The lawsuit, filed in 2018 and settled in 2023 alleged the the world’s largest social media platform allowed millions of its users’ personal information to be fed to Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump’s victorious presidential campaign in 2016.
Here's what you should know about the settlement and how money is going to be distributed:
WHAT WAS THE LAWSUIT ABOUT?
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 during a high-profile congressional hearing and spurred calls for people to delete their Facebook accounts.
The lawsuit, which had been seeking to be certified as a class action representing Facebook users, had asserted the privacy breach proved Facebook is a “data broker and surveillance firm,” as well as a social network.
The two sides reached a temporary settlement agreement in August 2022, just a few weeks before a deadline for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his long-time chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, to submit to depositions.
WHO'S GETTING THE MONEY?
People who used Facebook between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022 may have been eligible for the settlement funds, but users needed to have submitted a claim form online by August 25, 2023.
If you submitted a claim back in 2023 and are eligible for a payment, you will receive an email from donotreply@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com. If you receive a notification email, you will receive payment 3-4 days later, according to the administrative website for the settlement.
Claims distribution started in September and will continue over the next 10 weeks.
HOW MUCH IS BEING DISTRIBUTED?
CBS is reporting that the average payment amount is about $29.43, with a maximum payment of $38.36, per a court filing in early September. People who submitted a claim may be paid by check, ACH payment, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or a prepaid MasterCard, depending on what people selected.
MORE DETAILS ON SETTLEMENT AND CLAIMS TIMELINE
Visit the website for the settlement are available here.