Facebook has been under scrutiny many times before due to its questionable privacy practices. It has been involved in a class-action lawsuit recently, wherein the company ultimately decided to settle for $725 million in damages, and you might be entitled to some compensation as well.
Eligibility for the Settlement
Facebook, like many tech giants before it, claims that they have no fault regarding the accusations of privacy infringement and decided to pay up instead. Anyone who was active on the social media platform in the given time bracket may be eligible for the financial award.
If you have been a Facebook user between May 24th, 2007, and December 22nd, 2022 in the US, all there is to be done is to submit a claim before the given deadline, which is by August 25th, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. PT on the dot.
You may choose to do nothing, which means that you won't claim any part of the $750 million settlement money and take no legal action against the parent company, Meta. But, there are also other ways to pursue heavier legal action.
According to Digital Trends, you can legally defend yourself and attend the hearing on July 26th, 2023. Of course, you will have to decline the settlement offer first, which you can only do before the hearing date. You may attend the hearing in person or express your objections in writing.
The hearing for the final approval will take place on September 7th, 2023 at 1 p.m., which is necessary before those who claim to be eligible for the settlement may collect their award. As for the amount, that is yet to be determined.
The amount for compensation will rely on the number of Settlement Class Members who submit a claim and how long you were a user during the mentioned period. To stay up to date about the progress, you can add a confirmation email to your contact list.
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Processes in the Settlement and Objection
To receive the cash payment, make sure that you are eligible and that you complete the Claim Form before the deadline. Although, submission does not mean a guarantee. A Settlement Administrator will have to approve your form first.
There are three ways you can submit a Claim Form. The easiest way is to submit one online, but you can also download the Claim Form and mail it out yourself. You may also choose to ask for a physical copy from the Settlement Administration by calling them.
Once you have filled out the needed information and decided to mail a paper copy, you can send it to Facebook Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, c/o Settlement Administrator, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
If you want to request a Claim Form directly from the Settlement Administrator, you may contact them by calling their telephone number (1-855-556-2233) or by reaching out through email (info@FacebookUserPrivacySettlement.com).
In the event that you want to deny the approval or file an objection, you will need to provide reasons why the Court should not approve it. You can also ask for a different settlement if you feel like the provided one is insufficient, although Court denial means you get nothing at all.
Related: Meta Improves Privacy Terms and Conditions, Insists That No Selling of Information Happens
