Did you have a U.S. Facebook account between May 24, 2007, and Dec. 22, 2022? If so, here’s what you need to know about the Facebook $725 million privacy settlement — and an important deadline in August.
How Do You Claim Part of the $725 Million Facebook Privacy Settlement?
On the Facebook User Privacy Settlement website, you’ll find three ways to submit a claim:
— Submit the claim form online.
— Download the claim form and mail it to a settlement administrator.
— Call, write or email a settlement administrator to request a paper copy of the claim form and mail it back.
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Settlement administrator contact details:
— Phone: 1-855-556-2233.
— Email: info@FacebookUserPrivacySettlement.com.
— Mailing address: Facebook Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, c/o Settlement Administrator, 1650 Arch St., Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
Whichever option you choose, you must submit the claim before 11:59 p.m. PST on Aug. 25, 2023. If your claim form is accepted, you forfeit your right to sue Facebook over the factual allegations and legal claims this settlement resolves.
“I am a member of the class, and I plan to submit a claim through the claims website. The question for me is, would I rather get some money now — $10 or $20, perhaps, depending on the number of class members who submit claims — or almost certainly get nothing later if I try to pursue an individual lawsuit on my own?” says John Ghose, cybersecurity, privacy and technology lawyer at VeraSafe.
“It is notoriously difficult to establish in court both causation and quantifiable harm for a privacy-related violation,” he adds.
Required Information to Submit a Claim
To submit a claim, you’ll need to provide the following information:
— First and last name.
— Street address.
— Email address.
— Phone number.
— If you resided in the U.S. during the class period.
— If you were a Facebook user during the class period.
— If you’re filing a claim for a current account, deleted account or combination.
— All known email addresses, phone numbers and/or usernames associated with your Facebook account during the class period.
— Method for receiving payment.
— Attestation under oath.
Once you provide the information above, you can click submit and wait for a confirmation email.
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Who Is Eligible for a Settlement Payment?
U.S. Facebook users who had accounts between May 24, 2007, and Dec. 22, 2022, are eligible. The settlement class excludes some who are affiliated with Facebook or its subsidiaries — such as the company’s directors, legal representatives and employees.
What if You Don’t Want to Forfeit Your Right to Sue?
If you don’t want to forfeit your right to sue, proceed to sue or join another lawsuit in the future over the claims and allegations from this case, you had to opt out of the settlement and payment by July 26, 2023. At this point, that option is no longer available.
What if You Do Nothing?
If you didn’t opt out by the July 26 deadline, you’ve forfeited the right to sue over these issues in the future. If you don’t submit a claim by Aug. 25, 2023, you won’t receive a payment from the settlement.
What Did Facebook (Now Meta) Do Wrong?
Multiple lawsuits were brought against Facebook claiming that the company made its users’ — and their friends’ — data available to third parties without permission. Facebook is also accused of not sufficiently monitoring or enforcing third-party use of or access to that data.
“This settlement resolves claims arising from Facebook’s privacy practices, which led to, among other things, a 2016 data leak of 87 million users’ private information to Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm,” Ghose says. The company used that data to provide “psychographic microtargeting and analysis to the firm’s clients, including Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign,” he adds.
Meta denies any wrongdoing but says it’s agreeing to a settlement to avoid the risks and costs of a trial.
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When Will You Get the Payment and How Much Will It Be?
The amount of the payment will depend on the number of claims that get approved and the length of time you were a Facebook user during the class period (2007 to 2022).
“The settlement is a relatively big penalty, even for a company as wealthy as Meta but it’s going to amount to very little money in users’ pockets at the end of the day. Legal fees will eat up a good chunk, and there are hundreds of millions of affected users who are eligible to receive a share of the settlement,” says Ben Michael, attorney at Michael & Associates Criminal Defense Attorneys in Austin, Texas.
As for when you’ll get the payment, there is no set date because the case has to undergo a final approval hearing on Sept. 7, 2023. During that hearing, the court will decide whether to approve the settlement or not. If it does get approved, Facebook can file appeals. If and when all the appeals are resolved, the company will distribute payments.
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Here’s How to Claim Part of the $725 Million Facebook Privacy Settlement originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 08/15/23: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
