Facebook User Privacy Settlement: Could You Be Owed Money?
Facebook has been a social media giant for more than a decade now, with over 2.7 billion monthly active users as of 2021. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and Facebook has not always been able to keep up with its users' privacy concerns.
The company has been hit by several class action lawsuits concerning user privacy, and here are some of them:
The Cambridge Analytica Scandal
One of the most significant privacy scandals Facebook has faced in recent years is the Cambridge Analytica scandal. In 2018, it was revealed that the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica had obtained the personal data of millions of Facebook users without their consent. This data was allegedly used to influence the 2016 US Presidential election and the Brexit referendum in the UK.
As a result, Facebook faced several class action lawsuits, with users alleging that the company failed to protect their privacy and did not take adequate measures to prevent the unauthorized use of their data. The company has since agreed to pay a $5 billion fine to the US Federal Trade Commission and has made changes to its privacy policies and data practices.
Facial Recognition Technology
Facebook has also faced several lawsuits over its use of facial recognition technology. The company has been using this technology since 2010 to tag users in photos automatically. However, this practice has raised concerns over users' privacy, and several lawsuits have been filed against the company.
In 2020, Facebook agreed to pay a $550 million settlement in a class action lawsuit concerning its use of facial recognition technology. The lawsuit alleged that Facebook violated Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, which requires companies to obtain explicit consent from users before collecting their biometric data, such as facial recognition data.
The use of facial recognition technology without explicit consent has been a concern for many users, and Facebook's settlement is a clear indication that the company needs to do more to protect its users' privacy.
Advertising Practices
Another area where Facebook has faced privacy-related lawsuits is its advertising practices. In 2019, Facebook settled a class action lawsuit for $40 million, alleging that the company inflated the average viewing time of video ads on its platform. The lawsuit claimed that Facebook knew about the error but failed to disclose it to its advertising partners, leading to them overpaying for their ads.
Facebook has also faced several lawsuits over its targeted advertising practices. The company uses a range of data points to target users with personalized ads, including their location, interests, and online behavior. However, this has raised concerns over users' privacy, with some users feeling that their data is being used without their consent.
One of those class action lawsuits concerning user privacy, the one related to Cambridge Analityca had gone through and is likely that Facebook own you money. Facebook parent company Meta has agreed to pay $725 million to settle a class-action lawsuit claiming it improperly shared users' information with Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm used by the Trump campaign.
In order to get cash from the settlement, eligible Facebook users between the dates of May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022 can file a claim here. Users must submit a claim by August 25, 2023.
However, users who object to the settlement and plan on filing a lawsuit against Meta for these issues, must opt-out and do so by July 26, 2023. If a user does not file either a claim or objection by those deadlines, they forfeit their right to the settlement and further legal action as well.
If you'd like more information, feel free to visit the website set up for the class action settlement at FacebookUserPrivacySettlement.com.