You can now apply for your share of a $725 million Facebook data privacy settlement.

JockerFace · 04-22-2023, 03:37 PM

Facebook users who had an active account at any point between May 2007 and December 2022 can now apply to receive a piece of parent company Meta’s $725 million settlement related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Meta in December agreed to the payment to settle a longstanding class action lawsuit accusing it of allowing Cambridge Analytica and other third parties to access private user information and misleading users about its privacy practices.
The legal battle began four years ago, following an international outcry from the company’s disclosure that the private information of as many as 87 million Facebook users was obtained by Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm that worked with the Trump campaign.
The California judge overseeing the case granted preliminary approval of the settlem
The claim form — which requires a few personal details and information about a user’s Facebook account — can be filled out online or printed and submitted by mail. The form takes only a few minutes to complete and must be submitted by August 25 to be included as part of the settlement.
Any US Facebook user who had an active account sometime between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022, is eligible to be part of the settlement class, including those who have since deleted their accounts.

If you no longer have a Facebook account, you’ll need to provide the dates that you had an account.

Finally, you’ll need to include a way to get paid. You can opt for payment through:

Prepaid Mastercard
PayPal
Venmo
Direct Deposit (ACH) to your bank account
Zelle payment to your bank account
Paper check (which may take longer)
It’s important to note that you’ll need to provide your bank account information if you opt for direct deposit.

Make sure to submit the claim form by the deadline of August 25, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. You can find the form here.

Does Submitting the Claim Form Guarantee You Will Get Paid?
If you submit the claim form, you can expect payment in the fall if the court agrees to the settlement. The settlement website gives no indication of how much money each person will receive, but says it will depend on:

The number of users who file a claim
How long you used Facebook during that time
The total settlement fund will be distributed between parties to cover administrative costs, Class Counsel Costs, and Service Awards to Settlement Class Representatives. After that, the remaining funds will be distributed to settlement class members who submitted a claim form.