The $725 million Facebook User Privacy settlement got the final approval from the Northern District of California on 10 October 2023, but it was halted due to the filed appeals. The appeals for the Facebook user privacy settlement were resolved on 13 February 2025, claimants have been waiting for the payout.
The settlement administrator will provide the updates on the payment distribution. The payout date is not confirmed yet. However, the claimants can expect the payment by the second or third quarter of 2025, as the distribution can be delayed due to further proceedings.
The Facebook users filed the lawsuit against Facebook, claiming that the defendants have shared or made their information accessible to third parties without their consent. According to the reports, more than 28 million claims were filed under this settlement, of which 17 million are found to be valid claims till now.
| Settlement | Facebook User Privacy Settlement |
| Settlement Fund | $725 million |
| Payout Date | Second or third quarter of 2025 |
| Average Payout | Up to $30 |
| Who is entitled to? | US Facebook users during the class period |
| Class period | 24 May 2007 and 22 December 2022 |
| Final Approval | 10 Oct 2023 |
| Appeal Resolved | 13 February 2025 |
| Official Website | https://facebookuserprivacysettlement.com/ |
Who will receive it?
According to the settlement website, the US Facebook users who meet the following eligibility criteria will receive the payout:
- All United States citizens who have been Facebook users during the class period, 24 May 2007 and 22 December 2022.
- The class members who have filed the claim for the settlement before the deadline, 25 August 2023, will be entitled to the payout if their claim is approved.
Exclusion:
- The class members who opted out of the Facebook User privacy settlement by filing the opt-out form before 26 July 2023 will be excluded from the settlement.
- The officers, directors, legal representatives, Defendant’s agents, or affiliated/subsidiary companies, or employees of the defendants are excluded from the settlement.
- The judicial staff, judges, mediators, Settlement Mediator, and the Special Master will be excluded from the settlement.
- The counsel of the plaintiff whose case was merged with the MDL and their employees, but not limited to class counsel, will be excluded.
Payout Amount
Meta has agreed to pay the $725 million settlement fund to compensate the class members who have filed valid claims. The settlement administrator will process the funds to cover the administrative expenses, service awards for the class representatives, attorney fees and costs, and others before payout distribution for the valid claimants.
After all the expenses are deducted, the remaining net settlement fund will be used to settle the payout for the class members. The net settlement fund will be distributed among the class members with valid claims based on one point for each month where the user has been active on the Facebook account during the class period.
The net settlement fund and the payout depend on many factors, such as the number of valid claims, expenses, and others. Hence, the payout may vary for each claimant; however, as per the plaintiff’s attorney’s estimation, the class members can expect an average payout of $30 through this settlement.
Payment Method
The class members with a valid claim will receive the Facebook User privacy settlement payout through the payment method they have selected in the claim form. According to the Claim form, the valid claimants have the following options to receive the payouts:
- PayPal
- Prepaid Mastercard
- Zelle
- Venmo
- Physical Check
The claimants who have not selected any method will, by default, receive the payout through a physical check/ The claimants should check if their information is correct or not in the claim form to receive the payout on time.
What if the claim information is changed?
The Facebook User Privacy settlement has been stuck for months due to an appeal, hence, if any class members whose payment or claim information has been changed, that could affect their payment should immediately report it to the administrator.
You can easily update your claim information on the settlement website by clicking on the Submit Claim button. You will need your Claim ID, mentioned in the confirmation email when you filed the claim, and the confirmation code. After you submit this information, you can access your claim and update the information.
If you submitted the claim through mail or email, you can update the information through email at info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com or send mail with updated information to the Settlement administrator’s postal address:
- Facebook Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation
- c/ o Settlement Administrator
- 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210
- Philadelphia, PA 19103.
The Facebook User Privacy settlement appeal was resolved in February 2025, the approved claimants can expect the payment this year. The administrator will update about the payout distribution on the official settlement website, so regularly check the website or stay tuned for more information.