Facebook settlement payouts begin as $725M privacy case distributes payments to millions of eligible users

Payments from Facebook’s $725M privacy settlement are being distributed.

Payments from Facebook’s $725 million privacy settlement are now being distributed to eligible users, according to the official settlement administrator.

The settlement stems from multiple lawsuits alleging that Facebook, now operating under parent company Meta, improperly shared users’ personal data with third parties without consent. One of the most high-profile cases involved the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal, during which data from as many as 87 million users was reportedly harvested by the since-closed political consulting firm. Cambridge Analytica worked with Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign at the time. Meta has denied liability or wrongdoing but agreed to the settlement in 2022.

According to Angeion, the settlement administrator, anyone with a Facebook account in the U.S. between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022, was eligible to submit a claim. The deadline to do so was August 25, 2023. About 29 million claims were filed, with 18 million validated by September 2023, Meta stated in a 2024 court filing.

Payments are being distributed in phases over approximately 10 weeks, with amounts determined by the length of time a claimant maintained a Facebook account and the number of validated claims. Based on Meta’s 2024 legal documents, the average payout is estimated to be around $30.

Those approved for payments will receive an official email from the “Facebook User Privacy Settlement Administrator” ([e-mail]). CBS News reported that the email will include the subject line “Facebook User Privacy Settlement – Settlement and Distribution Status Update,” along with a claim ID number and confirmation of payment approval.

This marks one of the largest privacy-related settlements in U.S. tech history. Users who filed valid claims can expect their payout via direct deposit, PayPal, Venmo, or prepaid Mastercard, depending on the method selected when filing.