How to Know if You're Getting Paid and What to Expect

Individuals who filed a claim in the Facebook privacy settlement, valued at $725 million, may receive payments soon. The settlement administrator has indicated that payments are being processed.

The settlement encompasses a large group of Facebook users. Millions of consumers who utilized Facebook over a 15-year span were eligible to file claims in 2023. The settlement resulted from various lawsuits against Facebook, brought by users who alleged the company improperly shared their data with third parties, including advertisers and data brokers.

The legal action originated from Facebook's 2018 privacy scandal involving Cambridge Analytica. This company collected user data from the platform to profile voters. Despite the settlement, Meta, Facebook's parent company, has not admitted any liability or wrongdoing.

Those approved for payment will receive an email from the "Facebook User Privacy Settlement Administrator." The email address will be donotreply@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com. The subject line of the email will be "Facebook User Privacy Settlement – Settlement and Distribution Status Update." The email will confirm claim approval and include a claim ID number.

Payments began in September and are expected to continue over the following ten weeks. Claimants will receive a notification approximately 3-4 days before their payment is issued.

The exact payment amount per claimant is not specified. However, Facebook users will receive a portion of the $725 million after administrative costs and legal fees are deducted. The payment amounts depend on the number of claims filed and the duration of each claimant's Facebook usage during the settlement period.

Claimants receive "allocation points" based on their active Facebook account usage between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022. Each month of active use earns one point. The total points are calculated, and the net settlement amount is divided by this number. Consequently, users with shorter periods of Facebook usage are likely to receive smaller payments.