Social media icon applications appear on a mobile phone in this photo illustration.(Credit: Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Facebook will soon begin issuing payments to millions of users as part of a $725 million class action lawsuit over claims that the social media platform misused users’ privacy.
The settlement stems from numerous lawsuits in recent years over how the company used personal data of its users. Many of the lawsuits were eventually consolidated into one class-action lawsuit, which has since been settled and will soon be paying out.
Facebook settlement amounts
By the numbers:
As mentioned, Meta has agreed to pay $725 million as part of the settlement agreement. While Facebook agreed to settle the lawsuit for hundreds of millions, users who filed a claim will only see a small fraction of that total.
The amount depends on how many people submit valid claims, and also on how long the person was a Facebook user during the class period (May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022).
According to The Hill, the smallest possible payment is $4.89 and the maximum payment is $38.36, based on court documents the media outlet obtained. They reported that the average payment will be about $30.
When will Facebook users receive payments?
Dig deeper:
Payments will go out starting this month.
“The distribution of settlement benefits has commenced and will continue over the following 10 weeks. If your claim is approved you will receive an email notification 3-4 days in advance of your settlement payment being issued,” the settlement’s website states.
Users should watch their email for forthcoming notifications on when they should expect their payment.
What is the lawsuit about?
The backstory:
The numerous lawsuits brought on behalf of Facebook users had to do with what Facebook (now known by its parent company Meta) was accused of doing with the personal information of its users.
The lawsuits alleged Meta shared user data and data about users’ friends without permission, and that the data that was unknowingly shared went to third parties.
The third parties included entities such as app developers, business partners, advertisers, and data brokers. Furthermore, the lawsuits alleged Meta didn’t monitor or enforce third-party access or use of the data received.
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Perhaps one of the most recognized cases included is that of Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump’s victorious presidential campaign in 2016.
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.
The lawsuit had asserted the privacy breach proved Facebook is a “data broker and surveillance firm,” as well as a social network.
The company based in Menlo Park, California, previously said in a statement that it pursued a settlement because it was in the best interest of its community and shareholders.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by court documents from the U.S. District Court for the California Northern District. Previous FOX Local reporting also contributed. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
