Want a cut of Facebook’s $725 million settlement? There’s still time to file a claim
Facebook users hoping to get their cut of a nearly billion dollar class-action settlement have just one more day to file a claim.
Those eligible have until Friday, Aug. 25, to submit a claim, according to the settlement administrator’s website.
A hefty $725 million will be doled out as payments after Facebook’s parent company, Meta, agreed last year to settle a lawsuit accusing the social media giant of unlawfully sharing users’ data with third-party entities.
Data about users’ friends was also accessed without permission, the plaintiffs alleged, and Facebook “did not sufficiently monitor and enforce third-party access or use of that data.”
Meta has denied any wrongdoing in the case.
Details of the settlement need to be finalized, and a hearing is set for Sept. 7, according to the website.
Here’s what to know as the deadline looms:
Who’s eligible?
Facebook users in the U.S. between May 24, 2007, and Dec. 22, 2022, are included and eligible to receive payment as part of the settlement, according to settlement administrators.
How do I file a claim?
Claim forms can be completed and submitted online, or through the mail. You’ll need to provide any usernames, email addresses and phone numbers associated with your Facebook account.
Eligible users can submit one claim.
Claims that have already been submitted can be edited, however.
How much will the payment be?
The answer is two fold: payment amounts will depend on the number of valid claims that are submitted and how long you were a Facebook user during the settlement period, administrators said.
Administrative costs and related fees will also be deducted from the $725 million settlement fund, leaving a “net” fund that will be allocated for eligible claimants, according to the settlement website.
Claimants will be given a point for every month they had an active Facebook profile between May 24, 2007, and Dec. 22, 2022. The total points will be tallied, and administrators will divide the net fund by that number.
“The result will be the amount of the Net Settlement Fund available for each point,” according to the settlement website. “Each Authorized Claimant will receive that per-point amount multiplied by the number of points they were assigned.”
When will I get my payment?
If the settlement is approved on Sept. 7, payments will be disbursed “as soon as possible” and after any appeals are settled, administrators said.
Users can choose how they want to receive their payment when filing a claim.
This story was originally published August 10, 2023 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Want a cut of Facebook’s $725 million settlement? There’s still time to file a claim."