Facebook users have just days left to file a claim for share of $725 MILLION Cambridge Analytica settlement – are YOU entitled to a payout?
Facebook users have just days left to file a claim for a portion of the $725 MILLION Cambridge Analytica settlement. Are you entitled to a payment?
- Anyone who was a Facebook user between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022 must submit a claim before August 25
- The exact amount each eligible user will receive depends on the number of claims submitted before the deadline
- READ MORE: What is the Cambridge Analytica scandal?
Facebook users in the US have just days to file for their share of a $725 million data privacy settlement.
The payout follows a years-long lawsuit alleging that the social media platform allowed access to the data of about 70 million users without their consent by political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.
In 2018, it emerged that the British consultancy had targeted American voters during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, taking advantage of a feature that allowed it to collect user data as well as the data of their Facebook friends.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company headed by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, agreed to pay the settlement last December.
Anyone who was a Facebook user in the US between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022 can submit a claim through this website to receive a portion of the payout before Friday, August 25. form.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company headed by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, agreed to pay the settlement last December
Anyone who was a Facebook user in the US between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022 can submit a claim to receive a portion of the payout before Friday, August 25.
Americans can still apply to collect money from the settlement, even if they have deleted their Facebook account.
The amount each individual will be paid will depend on the number of claims filed and the total net settlement fund, less legal and administrative fees.
The more claims that are filed, the smaller the share of the settlement each user receives.
The amount will also depend on how long each person was an active Facebook user between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022.
Meta said the settlement administrator will award one point for each month you had an activated account CNN.
The administrator will then add up all the points awarded to all valid claimants and divide the net settlement amount by that total number of points.
It is also not clear when exactly the money will be paid out.
Once all claims are filed, a final approval hearing for the settlement of the case is scheduled for Sept. 7, according to Facebook’s user privacy settlement. website.
However, anyone who receives payment will no longer be able to sue Facebook or join other lawsuits against the company.
Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg appeared before Congress to address growing concerns raised over the Cambridge Analytica scandal
Cambridge Analytica used data from Facebook accounts to profile voters and aid US President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign (Photo: President at a rally in Wisconsin)
The settlement stemmed from 2018 revelations that Cambridge Analytica targeted US voters during the 2016 election, and led to Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg being questioned by US lawmakers.
In March 2018, Zuckerberg apologized, calling the scandal a “major breach of trust.”
“We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t, we don’t deserve to serve you,” Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post.
He noted at the time that the company had changed some rules that allowed for the breach, but added: “We also made mistakes, there’s more to do, and we need to step up and do that.”