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If you used Facebook in 2010 or 2011, you may qualify for a class action settlement against the social media giant.
A lawsuit dating back to 2011 accused the company across other websites, even after they logged off the platform. Now a US district court in California has given preliminary approval for a .
The plaintiffs claimed Facebook executives were aware the company violated privacy, communications and wiretap laws by tracking logged-out users, in breach of its own contract.
The case was initially dismissed in 2017 but then reinstated by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which determined Facebook’s profiting from the sale of users’ data was a violation of privacy that caused economic harm. When the US Supreme Court declined to review the case, settlement negotiations began.
As a result, US Facebook users who visited other sites displaying the Facebook “Like” button between April 22, 2010, and Sept. 25, 2011, may be eligible for a portion of the settlement if it receives final approval this fall.
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This is the seventh-largest data privacy class action settlement ever to receive preliminary court approval, from law firm DiCello Levitt Gutzler.
Read on to find out what the class action lawsuit is all about, whether you’re eligible for a payout and how much recipients could receive.
What does the suit accuse Facebook of?
The plaintiffs allege that Facebook tracked people’s activities on outside websites, even when they were signed out of their Facebook accounts, by installing cookies on users’ computers.
In a 2011 suit filed in US District Court in San Jose, California, they claimed such monitoring violated the Federal Wiretap Act, the Stored Electronic Communications Act and the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, among other statutes.
That year, Facebook disclosed that it personalized content by placing cookies onto users’ computers that remained active even when they were logged out. Facebook at the time that it quickly removed uniquely identifying data from post-logout cookies and that it didn’t store or use data from cookies for tracking.
But , “This admission came only after an Australian technology blogger exposed Facebook’s practice of monitoring members who have logged out, although he brought the problems to the defendant’s attention a year ago.”
What’s the settlement Facebook has agreed to?
Facebook parent Meta Platforms has agreed to a $90 million settlement, though it “expressly denies any liability or wrongdoing whatsoever,” according .Meta didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Who’s eligible to receive part of the Facebook settlement?
US Facebook users who, between April 22, 2010, and Sept. 25, 2011, visited websites that displayed the Facebook “Like” button are eligible to be recipients, or “class members.”
The 2011 suit alleges Facebook’s use of cookies violated the Federal Wiretap Act and other laws.
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The claims administrator, Angeion, has already begun to email class members and will continue to do so through July 15, 2022. If you received a personalized notice in the mail or via email, go to the and enter the Notice ID and Confirmation Code you were provided with.
If you believe you’re eligible but haven’t been contacted, you on your own through Sept. 22. Individuals who want to reserve the right to file their own lawsuit have until Sept. 12 .If you do nothing, you won’t get a payment and you’ll give up the right to sue or be part of another lawsuit relating to the case.
How much money could you receive?
The court has scheduled a final approval hearing on Oct. 27, 2022, in San Jose, California, thehiddengallery where it will consider whether the $90 million settlement is “fair, reasonable, and adequate.”
It isn’t yet clear how many class members there will be or how much each individual will receive.
In 2021, to a suit that alleged it broke Illinois’ biometric laws by collecting and storing users’ physical characteristics without their consent. Nearly 1.6 million Facebook users in the state each received $397 payouts.
When will Facebook settlement checks go out?
The court will make a final decision about the settlement on Oct. 27, but there may be appeals. “It is always uncertain whether appeals will be filed and, if so, how long it will take to resolve them,” according to the settlement site. “Settlement payments will be distributed as soon as possible.”
