It probably won’t be life-changing money, but if you feel like the social media giant has done you wrong, this could be the most satisfying money you’ve made all year.
Facebook has agreed to a $725 million class-action settlement after they were caught your private information with multiple third parties without asking you for permission to do so. If you’re wondering why this hasn’t been all over the news, it’s because the invasion of privacy happened about five years ago. According to the Associated Press, the class action suit is connected to a 2018 discovery that a company called Cambridge Analytica paid one of Facebook’s app developers to get access to personal info for close to 87 million users. That company turned around and used that information for commercial purposes and political campaigns.
The settlement notice explains that not only did Facebook share users’ data with multiple third parties, but it also shared information about your friends on the platform and did not monitor how the third parties used that data.
So why is this news, now? Because the deadline to file a claim so that you can receive funds from the lawsuit is quickly approaching in August.
Since the privacy breach, Facebook has changed its name to Meta. Meta still won’t admit that they did anything wrong but decided to settle out of court. That means that users, including the thousands in Idaho, now have the opportunity to get some cash from the shady social network.
Who In Idaho Can Get Money from Facebook?
Any user that had an active account between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022.
How Much Money Will I Get?
Right now, that’s unclear. Facebook is paying out $725 million but part of that money will go toward covering payment for the lawyers who were part of the case. Then they’ll distribute what’s left to people who have submitted valid claims. The longer you had an active account during the time period listed above, the more money you’ll receive.
How Will I Recieve My Money?
We’re happy you asked. We’re still mad at Facebook for continuing to allow scammers to steal our personal images to create fake profiles claiming to be one of our on-air personalities and direct our trusting listeners to phishing websites that will steal their credit card information…so you know we filled out a claim form as soon as we found out we could! You can choose to receive your money on a Prepaid Mastercard via e-mail, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle or a physical check.
What Information Do I Need to Submit?
They’ll want to know which e-mail addresses, phone numbers and user names you had associated with the Facebook account you’re filing a claim for. You’ll also need to give the settlement administrator your basic contact information.
Where Do I Submit My Claim?
You can do it in less than five minutes online HERE or download this claim form and mail it in.
How Long Do I Have to File a Claim?
August 25, 2023
Again, the more people who file claims, the less money you’ll get but is it even about the money? Or are you just happy with flipping Facebook the middle finger? Because after the hell they’ve put us through with all these fake profiles, we’d be happy with a Taylor Swift or Gwyneth Paltrow-esque $1.
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