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Wondering how to get Facebook settlement money? If you submit a claim, how big could your payment be?
In December 2022, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, settled a $725 million class-action lawsuit after the company shared or made private user data accessible to third parties without users’ permission. If you were a Facebook user, you may be eligible to claim a portion of the settlement.
Read on to learn how to apply to get a portion of the Facebook settlement before the deadline.
How to Get Facebook Settlement Money
In December 2022, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, settled a historic, $725 million class-action lawsuit after the company shared or made private user data accessible to third parties without users’ permission. Some 250 million to 280 million users may be eligible for payments, and you could be one of them. If you want to know how to get Facebook settlement money, read on to learn if you’re entitled to funds and how to claim your portion, according to experts’ insights.
Background
A class-action lawsuit is when one or more people sue a person or entity on behalf of other individuals with similar claims. In the case of Facebook, the suit came in response to one of the largest breaches in the company’s history, and the company’s payout is the largest ever made in a data privacy class-action case.
Am I Eligible for a Payment?
Before describing how to get funds from the Facebook settlement, it’s important to know if you’re eligible for a payment or not. To claim your share, you had to have been a Facebook user in the US between May 2007 and December 2022.
Meta directors and legal representatives are not eligible for funds.
Meta says it’s notifying people about the settlement through their Facebook notifications so they can decide if they want to participate in the suit.
How Big Will My Payment Be?
Payouts will likely be small and vary depending on (a) the number of people who submit valid claims, and (b) how long each applicant used Facebook during the period covered by the lawsuit. More money will go to those who used the platform longer. Further, lawyers involved in the case may receive as much as $181.3 million (25%) of the settlement, leaving $543.7 million for Facebook users.
To determine the exact amount of money each claimant receives, the suit’s settlement administrator will:
- Assign one point for each month that authorized claimants had an activated Facebook account.
- Add the total number of points assigned to all claimants and divide that by $725 million—minus administrative costs and fees—to determine how much money is available for each point.
- Multiply that amount by each claimant’s points.
Apply for Funds
So, how do you get your money from the Facebook settlement? You can apply for funds before August 25, 2023, in two ways:
Enter your claim online.
- Go to the claim website.
- Enter your mailing and email address, phone number, and Facebook user name.
- Confirm that you were active on the platform between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022.
- Indicate whether you want payment routed to your bank account, Venmo, or elsewhere.
- Go to the claim website.
- Print out, fill out, and mail the claim form to: Facebook Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, c/o Settlement Administrator, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
Final Things to Know
Now that we’ve explained how to apply to get money from the Facebook settlement, you should also know that experts say you can opt out of the settlement, which would allow you to preserve your right to sue Facebook over issues raised in the class action case as an individual, rather than as part of a group. To opt out, submit a request online or by mail before July 26. If you submit it in writing, include the following information:
- The case name — In re: Facebook, Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, Case No. 3:18-md-02843-VC (N.D. Cal.).
- Your name and current address.
- Your signature.
- A statement “clearly indicating your intent to be excluded from the settlement.”
- Your Facebook account URL.
- A statement that you were a Facebook user between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022.
If you don’t opt out or file a claim, you relinquish your right to file, continue, or be part of future litigation on the issues central to the current case—as well as your claim to any related settlement money.
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