 |
|
|
.-') _ .-') _ |
|
( OO ) ) ( OO ) ) |
|
.-----. ,--./ ,--,' ,--./ ,--,' |
|
' .--./ | \ | |\ | \ | |\ |
|
| |('-. | \| | )| \| | ) |
|
/_) |OO )| . |/ | . |/ |
|
|| |`-'| | |\ | | |\ | |
|
(_' '--'\ | | \ | | | \ | |
|
`-----' `--' `--' `--' `--' |
|
lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial |
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE VIEW: |
|
|
|
Facebook’s settlement payments are going out. Here’s what to expect |
|
|
|
By Auzinea Bacon, CNN |
|
|
|
Updated: |
|
|
|
4:00 AM EDT, Sat September 13, 2025 |
|
|
|
Source: CNN |
|
|
|
Facebook users who filed a claim in parent company Meta’s related to |
|
the Cambridge Analytica scandal may soon get a payment. |
|
|
|
It’s been over since Facebook users were able to file claims in |
|
Meta’s December 2022 settlement. The class-action lawsuit began after |
|
the social media giant said in 2018 that as many as 87 million Facebook |
|
users’ private information was obtained by data analytics firm , |
|
which had worked with President Donald Trump’s . |
|
|
|
Meta was accused of allowing Cambridge Analytica and other third |
|
parties, including developers, advertisers and data brokers, to access |
|
private information about Facebook users. The social media giant was |
|
also accused of insufficiently managing third-party access to and use |
|
of user data. |
|
|
|
Meta did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement. Following the |
|
Cambridge Analytica incident, Facebook to user data and “developed |
|
more robust tools” to inform users about how data is collected and |
|
shared, according to . |
|
|
|
Here’s what you need to know about the settlement payments. |
|
|
|
Who was eligible? |
|
|
|
Any US Facebook user who had an active account between May 24, 2007, |
|
and December 22, 2022, was eligible to file a claim, even if they have |
|
deleted the account. |
|
|
|
The deadline to file was August 25, 2023. Almost 29 million claims were |
|
filed and about 18 million were validated as of September 2023, to |
|
Meta’s response in a 2024 legal document. |
|
|
|
According to the , payments would be determined by whether a claim was |
|
valid and “how long you were a user on Facebook” between May 24, |
|
2007, and December 22, 2022. Those who did not file a claim are |
|
ineligible to receive a payment. |
|
|
|
What happened after the deadline? |
|
|
|
Two appeals were filed after the settlement that were not resolved |
|
until May 14, 2025, according to the settlement site. |
|
|
|
The settlement was finalized on May 22, 2025, and on August 27, the |
|
court ordered that settlement benefits be distributed. |
|
|
|
“The distribution of settlement benefits has commenced and will |
|
continue for approximately 10 weeks. We thank you in advance for your |
|
patience,” according to the site’s September 3 update. |
|
|
|
Was my claim approved? |
|
|
|
Approved claims are notified by email up to four days before their |
|
payouts are issued. |
|
|
|
Anyone who is unsure about the status of their claim can contact the |
|
settlement administrator at , with their claim ID. |
|
|
|
How much will I receive? |
|
|
|
Of the $725 million settlement fund, roughly $540 million will cover |
|
approved settlement claims. |
|
|
|
According to the settlement , a system of “allocation points” will |
|
determine payments. One allocation point is assigned for each calendar |
|
month a person had a Facebook account between May 24, 2007, and |
|
December 22, 2022. |
|
|
|
“Class members who were active on Facebook longer, and who therefore |
|
may have more valuable claims, will receive a larger share of the |
|
settlement,” Meta said in the 2024 legal document. |
|
|
|
Payments will either be sent directly to the bank account provided on |
|
the claim form, or via PayPal, a virtual prepaid Mastercard, Venmo or |
|
Zelle. Unsuccessful or expired payments will receive a “second chance |
|
email” to update the payment method. |
|
|
 |
<- back to index |
