How to apply for your share of Facebook's $725 million data privacy lawsuit settlement
WASHINGTON (TND) — Facebook users can now apply to claim their share of a $725 million class-action settlement in a lawsuit alleging privacy violations after the company shared user data with Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm that worked on President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Anyone who had an active U.S. Facebook account between May 2007 and December 2022 — even if the account has since been deleted — have until Aug. 25 to submit a claim following Meta’s decision to settle the case which impacted more than 87 million users.
Individual payouts depend on how many users submit claims and how long each user maintained a Facebook account, so it's not yet known how much users who apply will get.
The settlement is the result of a legal battle that began back in 2018 when the social media platform was accused of improperly sharing users’ information with third-party apps.
Cambridge Analytica was accused of gathering users’ personal content and information through a quiz app called MyDigitalLife, also known as ThisIsYourDigitalLife, which was marketed as a tool used by psychologists to help users better understand their personalities.
That data was then allegedly used to target U.S. voters during the 2016 election that ended in a Trump victory.
According to the suit, Facebook broke the law when it allowed the firm to mine data without users’ authorization and “failed to take action to stop the activity or notify users until March 2018.
The revelations led to a Congressional hearing where Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before lawmakers, who grilled him about the breach and what would be done to protect users in the future.
Zuckerberg even took out full-page newspaper ads apologizing to users after many decided to delete their Facebook accounts.
“You may have heard about a quiz app built by a university researcher that leaked Facebook data of millions of people in 2014,” the ads read. “I’m sorry we didn’t do more at the time. We’re now taking steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
In 2021, Facebook rebranded itself as Meta, seemingly hoping to distance itself from the scandal and looking to tap into a younger generation of users as apps like TikTok, SnapChat and Instagram rose in popularity.
The next year, the two sides reached a temporary settlement agreement in August but Facebook did not admit wrongdoing.
We pursued a settlement as it’s in the best interest of our community and shareholders,” Meta spokesperson Dina Luce said following the agreement. “Over the last three years we revamped our approach to privacy and implemented a comprehensive privacy program. We look forward to continuing to build services people love and trust with privacy at the forefront.
Users can apply for their piece of the pie in just a few minutes at Facebookuserprivacysettlement.com.
The form asks for your name, contact information, your Facebook user name and the dates your account existed. You can then select the payment service you prefer, such as PayPal, Venmo or a prepaid Mastercard. It’s not known when the payments will be made.