A massive $725 million class-action settlement against Meta (Facebook: the company) related to the scraped data scandal involving Cambridge Analytica means good news for you, most likely: You might have money to claim.
A website is now active for anyone based in the U.S. who had (or continues to have) a Facebook account from May 24, 2007 to Dec. 22, 2022. The deadline to file a claim is Aug. 25 and a final approval meeting is set for Sept. 7, which means payments are expected to go out sometime after that. Sorry, we can't tell you how much you'll get; that will depend on how many people file a claim.
But even if it only entitles you for a few dollars, the process is pretty quick; it should take you less than five minutes and you don't have to provide any proof or documentation. The site looks up your Facebook account based on your login email or phone number. You can provide your bank information or Venmo or PayPal account email so the payment goes directly to you when the time comes. (Full disclosure: I filled out a claim on Wednesday.)
Related: The 7 Most Annoying People You’ll Encounter on Facebook, Ranked
If litigation's not your thing, you could also choose to opt out of the settlement (deadline for that is July 26), or you can object to the settlement in writing or ask permission to speak about it. That deadline is July 26 as well. If you do nothing, you won't get a settlement payout, but you're still considered part of the settlement. You’d give up any future right to sue or be part of another lawsuit related to this case.
The site Engadget has a few tips in case you still have questions: "You can contact the settlement administration by emailing info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com or calling 1-855-566-2233.” One last thing, the claim form recommends adding “confirmation@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com” to your contact list to ensure any important correspondence doesn’t end up in your spam folder.
Maybe you can put your settlement money toward some virtual property in the metaverse! Or maybe, yeah, don't do that.
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