Facebook users who filed claims to get their cut from a $725 million privacy settlement would probably have to wait longer than expected to get their share. Individual payouts for claimants are expected to be somewhere in the area of $35, but when they will be received is still unknown.
Facebook’s users who filed their claims to get an alleged share as part of a $725 million privacy settlement will have to wait for a longer period of time to get their share. The approximate payout per individual claimant is expected to be around $35. However, there is no clear estimate of when claimants will receive that amount.
Facebook users who have filed claims to get their portion of a $725 million privacy settlement may be waiting a while longer before receiving their share. Individual payouts are estimated to be approximately $35, but no one knows how soon those payments will be sent.
The class-action settlement, first announced in December 2022, is tied up in legal appeals that have significantly delayed the disbursement process. According to the most recent update, as of September 19, 2024, payouts will not be issued until two pending appeals are resolved. These appeals will probably not come before the courts until around the middle of 2025, if not later.
After the appeal is heard, more legal moves may further postpone the release of funds, and it remains unclear whether claimants will get their money at all in the coming year.
The settlement stems from lawsuits linked to the notorious Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018. Cambridge Analytica, a British consulting firm that collaborated with Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, obtained personal data from as many as 87 million Facebook users—primarily in the U.S.
The lawsuits charged Meta, owner portfolio group of Facebook, for the improper sharing of user information. Meta has denied wrongdoing, but it agreed to the settlement for amelioration as far as legal and financial burdens are concerned without trial.
Who Meets Criteria for Compensation?
The first time Facebook visited the country was between 2007 and 2022. All those persons who used the media under the periods above are eligible to be paid under the settlement. Deadline for filing of claims shut this case in August 2023 and was ruled on in October 2023.
The latest report shows numbers preliminarily validated at more than 17 million and nearly 28 million claims submitted are the largest settlement class in U.S. history. history by participation.
How Much Will Claimants Receive?
The median payout is expected to be around $35.The actual amount is dependent on how long an individual has owned a Facebook account. A claimant accumulates ‘points’ for each month in which they had a qualified account during the period of 2007-2022, and the longer one has an account, the larger payment he or she will receive.
Approved claimants had a variety of payment options: PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, direct deposit, paper checks, and prepaid Mastercards.
What Next?
Since the legal process of appeals is still pending, there is no definite timeline attached yet to distribution of settlement funds. The parties may as well be subjected to an additional legal process, which may delay the disbursement of funds even after the court’s resolution of the appeals.
Claimants must learn to wait for frequent notices about this settlement given the extremely high chances of further delays.
For additional resources, consult the official settlement website or legal notices to stay informed about the status of your claim.
Conclusions:
The distribution of payouts resulting from the Facebook settlement has been postponed and is now expected to be processed no earlier than the year 2025. This is due to the legal technicalities and completion of administrative processes. Although disappointing for many eligible claimants, it shows the complexity in managing large-scale settlements. Interested claimants are requested to remain periodically updated by official communication and patient with the developments. The time is surely meant for the very reason of makeup single-to-accuracy and fairness in distribution of funds.