Facebook users can now claim for their share of $725 million data privacy settlement

If you have used it in the last 16 years in the United States, you could be eligible for a share of a privacy settlement. The settlement worth $725 million, is a result of multiple lawsuits that were brought against Facebook by users who claimed that the company improperly shared their data with third-party sources such as advertisers and data brokers. This lawsuit began after Facebook was part of a privacy scandal in 2018 with Cambridge Analytica, which used user data from the site to profile voters, as per CBS News. 

However, Meta has denied any liability or wrongdoing in the settlement, according to the recently created class-action website. However, the agreement ensures that U.S. residents who used Facebook between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022, can file for monetary claims till August 25, 2023. 

You can visit the claim website to claim your compensation and mail it to this address: Facebook Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, c/o Settlement Administrator, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103. As for how much money can expect? As per CBS News, "That's unclear because the settlement amount per user will depend on how many people fill out a claim, according to the settlement website.

As to the time and date of receiving this money: The claims site mentions that there is a final approval hearing for the settlement on September 7, when the court will decide whether to give a nod to the deal and award attorneys' fees and other costs. If the settlement is approved, the case might still face several appeals. This might take an unknown amount of time to be resolved, the website notes. "Settlement payments will be distributed as soon as possible if the court grants final approval of the settlement and after any appeals are resolved," it said.

Approved users will be assigned one point for each month in which they had an activated Facebook account. The settlement in charge will then sum up the total points assigned to all claimants and divide that number by the total settlement amount, $725 million. The administrative cost will be deducted from the total amount. Each claimant will receive that amount multiplied by the number of points they have claimed, according to the settlement website.

The website asks for Your name, email, address, phone, and information on "If you reside in the U.S. between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022", and, "if you were a Facebook user between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022. If you deleted your account in that period, the date range from when you were a Facebook user. Your Facebook username. The payment service you prefer, such as PayPal, Venmo, or a prepaid Mastercard."