Facebook users in the United States who had an active Facebook account between May 2007 and December 2022 can now apply to receive a share of the $725 million Meta paid to settle a class action lawsuit over the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. .
Complaints can be submitted on the Facebook User Privacy Agreement website until August 25. Facebook users who want to get paid will need to provide information such as name, address, phone number, and information about their Facebook account, as well as select an option to get paid. Payment options include PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, and a prepaid Mastercard.
It is not yet known how much money each claimant will receive, but given the number of Facebook users, the attorneys’ fees, and the fact that Meta only paid $725 million, the payments are likely to be small. Payment will depend on the number of Settlement Class Members who submit claims and the length of use of Facebook during the time described in the lawsuit.
Following the Cambridge Analytica discoveries in 2018, Facebook was hit with various lawsuits. The company was accused of sharing user data and data about users’ friends without permission. The information was provided to third-party app developers, business partners, advertisers, and data brokers without oversight from Facebook.
Data firm Cambridge Analytica was one of the companies that collected data from tens of millions of Facebook users, creating targeted political ads with the information.
With the agreement, Meta has denied any wrongdoing and says it did not break any laws. Both parties chose to settle to avoid the costs and risks of a trial. After the scandal, Facebook changed its data privacy practices to better protect user data.