20/04/20234min
Back in 2018, it was revealed that 87 million Facebook subscribers had their personal data used without permission by now-defunct political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica. Over 70 million of those subscribers were Americans and late last year a federal judge ordered Facebook parent Meta to pay $725 million to settle a class action lawsuit related to the use of this personal data. So now, those who used Facebook between May 24th, 2007, and December 22nd, 2022, and lived in the U.S. during that time, can submit a claim for a share of this money.
Don’t start buying a new car or call real estate brokers to find a ritzy new place. This is not the same as signing a contract in the NBA. Typically the lawyers make out great while members of the class get a few coins taped to a postcard. Still, it doesn’t hurt to submit a claim if eligible and if enough people can’t be bothered to do so, the larger the payouts will be. You have until August 25th to submit your claim and this is how you do it.
First, visit the Facebook, Inc., Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation page by directing your browser to facebookuserprivacysettlement.com or by tapping on this link. There are some important dates listed on the page. For example, you can wait until July 26th to decide if you want to withdraw from the settlement and bring your own lawsuit. For the majority of those eligible to submit a claim, filing a lawsuit is not a financially feasible plan.
So let’s assume that you are going to submit a claim. The first box under the heading of “Summary of your legal rights and options in this settlement” is titled “Submit a claim.” Tap on the link that says “Submit your claim form online” and you’ll be whisked away to the proper page. Now it’s hard not to get excited when the very first request on the page asks you to decide which platform you want to be paid on. You can choose a prepaid Mastercard, or get paid via Venmo, Zeille, or directly to your bank account.
Fill out all of the information requested and if you still have your Facebook account up and running, you will not have to remember exactly when you started using the platform. The whole process will probably take up to 10 minutes of your time. Individual payments will be based on the number of Facebook users that submit a claim and how long each person has been a Facebook subscriber.
The final approval hearing is scheduled for September 7th at 1 pm PDT. Hmm. That might come just in time to order a new iPhone 15 model.