TL;DR
- A class action lawsuit was filed in 2018 after Facebook and Cambridge Analytica failed to delete unethically obtained Facebook user data.
- A federal judge has approved a deal between Meta users and Facebook for $725 million.
- Facebook users who used the social platform between May 2007 and December 2022 are eligible for payment.
Facebook’s parent company – Meta – is not new to class action lawsuits. But its most recent settlement may have broken a record in the United States. And if you used Facebook between May 2007 and December 2022, you might be eligible for some of that money.
Last month, a federal judge approved a massive $725 million settlement for a lawsuit involving Meta. The company accepted payment to settle a privacy class action claiming that Facebook shared personal data with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica.
The lawsuit was triggered after it was revealed that Meta and Cambridge Analytica – a data company that worked with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 – harvested data from Facebook users without their consent. This personal information has been misused to deliver political advertisements and fuel voter targeting. Moreover, it was found that the two companies had not deleted this data either.
While Meta denies any wrongdoing, the company agreed to a settlement in December to avoid litigation and increased legal costs. According to a statement of Keller Rohrback LLP, the $725 settlement is “the largest-ever settlement of a privacy class action lawsuit in the United States.”
How to Get Paid for Facebook Settlement
Although final approval won’t come until September, Facebook users can start filing a complaint now. If you used Facebook between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022, you can file a complaint. However, this only applies to users who were living in the United States at the time.
The amount users receive from Facebook settlement will depend on a few factors. One of these factors will be the amount charged for legal fees and expenses. Another factor will be how long the user has used Facebook during the period. It will also depend on the number of people submitting complaints.
