How Much Will Each Person Get From the Facebook Settlement, and Is It Even Worth It?
Key takeaways
- Meta’s U.S. settlement for Facebook users off the back of the Cambridge Analytica scandal was the largest class-action award of its kind, coming in at $725 million
- The deadline for Facebook users claiming their portion ends in August
- It’s still unclear how much the average settlement claim will be
The year 2016 was an ugly time for Big Tech, and Meta paid a heavy price for its role in the debacle. Thankfully, Facebook users can get some payback from an enormous settlement Meta was ordered to pay.
The real question is — how much moolah is in it for each Facebook user? Sadly, there’s no straight answer to that question yet, but we could start hearing some more news soon as the deadline for claiming nears. Here’s the lowdown.
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What is the Facebook settlement about?
Remember Cambridge Analytica, the shady analytics firm that negatively influenced the 2016 U.S. presidential election? Facebook’s role in the scandal was taken to court, resulting in the biggest FTC fine in history. Meta was ordered to pay $5 billion to the regulator for its role in improper data sharing on its social media platforms.
But it didn’t end there — a class action lawsuit quickly followed and was awarded in favor of millions of Facebook users. Anyone with a Facebook account between May 2007 and December 2022 qualifies for a portion of the settlement, which at $725 million, is the largest class action settlement of its kind.
How much does each Facebook user get?
The settlement has a couple of catches — it’s only available to U.S. Facebook users because the case was litigated in the States, and eligible users only have until August 25 to claim their portion of the fund.
It’s unclear how much each user can claim from the fund, as it depends on how many users submit claims and how long they’ve had an account. Users can go to the Facebook settlement website and enter their details to make a claim; users will then be awarded one point for each month they had a Facebook account during the class action period.
The bottom line
Facebook users are rightly due compensation for the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and everyone who qualifies for their part of the settlement should aim to get it done before the fast-approaching deadline. If you’re not in it, you can’t win it.
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