Check Your Email. Facebook Class-Action Settlement Checks Are Going Out Now
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It’s not much, but Facebook users are now receiving up to $38 as payouts in a class-action lawsuit over data privacy violations.
Meta settled the case in 2022 and agreed to a $725 million fund. Facebook users had to submit a claim by August 2023, and nearly 18 million people requested a cut. That money is now being distributed, so check your email for a notification from Facebook Consumer Privacy Settlement. I received a $38.36 payment, the maximum amount, according to court documents.
(Credit: Michael Kan/PCMag)
“The Settlement Administrator set the amount for minimum payments at approximately $4.89,” adds the court document, which notes “the average payment amount is approximately $29.43.”
The settlement fund also sent alerts about incoming payments last week. “The distribution of settlement benefits will commence in September, and payments will be sent in batches over the following 10 weeks,” says an email I received. “You will receive an additional email notice approximately 3-4 days before your settlement payment is issued. Please continue to check your email during this time period.”
The administrator then wrote a message days later, saying, “You’ve Received a Virtual Prepaid Card! $38.36.” The email might seem like a scammy phishing message, but it was legit, and I was able to use the prepaid virtual Mastercard loaded with $38 on it to buy items on Amazon.
On Reddit, other users have reported receiving smaller amounts, $12 or $8. Eligible users could have also selected other payment methods, including PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. You have 90 days to activate the gift card or transfer the money to your account.
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Meta paid $725 million to settle multiple lawsuits alleging that it violated user privacy by sharing personal data with third-party companies. This included the consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which used the data for political ad targeting. Meta, however, did not admit to any wrongdoing.
The settlement amounts were calculated based on “each month in which [the user] had an active Facebook account during the class period,” which spanned May 2007 to December 2022. In response, one Reddit user wrote: “So all of your social media info over 14 years is worth $38.”
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