(NEXSTAR) – Millions of people owed a piece of the massive $725 million Facebook privacy settlement have been receiving their payments. Are you feeling left out?
The long-awaited payments started on Sept. 3 and were expected to continue being distributed in batches for 10 weeks, or until around Nov. 12.
Angeion, the company managing the payouts, had its work cut out for it after receiving 28 million claims. So many claims were filed because so many people were eligible; basically everyone in the U.S. who had a Facebook account between 2007 and 2022 qualified.
If you were a Facebook user at any point during that time period, you had to file a claim in order to get a payout. You’ll have to think back a couple years; the deadline to file was in August of 2023.
If you believe you are eligible for a payment but haven’t gotten one yet, the first thing to do is wait until mid-November, since the disbursement period isn’t over. You can also check your email for a “Notice of Settlement Payment,” which should arrive three to four days before your payment.
You may also want to check that you didn’t receive your payment already. The money may be coming by Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, direct deposit or prepaid debit card, depending on what you chose when filing a claim.
If you’re still not sure about your claim or payment status, you can email info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com. The claim administrator asks that you include your claim ID number. More help can be found on the claim site here.
How big are the payments?
The smallest possible payment is $4.89 and the maximum payment is $38.36, according to court documents. The average payment will be $29.43.
Whether your payment is closer to $5 or $40 depends on how long you had a Facebook account during the class period. There’s a point system in place, with one point awarded for every month you had a Facebook account between May 2007 and December 2022. The maximum number of points you can have is 188, which would give you the maximum payment of around $38.
What was the lawsuit about?
The lawsuit was originally filed over claims Facebook violated users’ privacy by sharing their data with third parties. The most famous third party was Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm that supported Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, agreed to settle the lawsuit but denies any wrongdoing.
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