Facebook users in the United States can now file for compensation as part of a $725 million data privacy settlement involving Facebook’s parent company, Meta (The Washington Post). A federal judge tentatively approved the settlement and ruled to proceed with the claims process, allowing anyone who used Facebook over the past 16 years to collect a portion of the huge payout (CBS News).
The class-action lawsuit settlement is related to allegations of privacy violations by Meta, which used the data of millions of Facebook users without their consent. According to VERIFYThis.com, the settlement is real and users who want to receive cash payments must submit a claim.
To apply for compensation, users must have maintained an account between May 2007 and December 2022 and submit a claim for their share of the $725 million class action by August of this year (CNBC). The settlement has been described as a victory for privacy rights and a warning to companies to respect users’ personal data (The Wall Street Journal).
Although this is not the first privacy lawsuit against Facebook, the amount of the settlement is significantly higher than previous ones. It is likely that users will receive a small payout, as the promised amount may be divided among a large number of users (NBC News). However, the settlement remains an important step in holding tech companies accountable for their handling of user data.
Overall, the settlement is an unexpected opportunity for Facebook users to receive compensation for a long-standing issue. While the specifics of the claims process have been outlined, users should be sure to carefully review the instructions and deadlines to ensure they can receive their share of the payout.
