How to claim your share of the $725 million that Facebook owes us

American Facebook users who held an active account from May 2007 to December 2022 may receive some cash for free.

If you were an active Facebook user in the US between May 24th, 2007, and December 22nd, 2022, you may have the opportunity to receive a portion of a multimillion-dollar class action settlement concerning user privacy.

Meta, Facebook's parent company, agreed to pay $725 million to resolve a lawsuit accusing it of granting Cambridge Analytica and other third parties access to private user data, which a judge has tentatively approved. Additionally, Meta was accused of misleading users about how much control they had over their private information. However, Meta denies any wrongdoing.

To make a claim, you can apply online until August 25th, 2023. You will need to answer a few questions and select your preferred payment method, whether that be direct deposit, a prepaid gift card, or PayPal.

Alternatively, you can apply by mail. You will need to print and complete some forms and then send them to a settlement administrator in Pennsylvania.

The lawsuit began in 2018 when Cambridge Analytica, a now-defunct consulting firm that worked with former President Donald Trump's campaign, accessed the private data of up to 87 million Facebook users, leading to the lawsuit. A researcher who had permission from Facebook to deploy an app that harvested user data provided the information to Cambridge Analytica.

The lawsuit expanded to include other cases where Facebook was accused of granting access to user data to third parties without their consent.

The proposed settlement of $725 million is the largest ever achieved in a US data privacy class action case, according to the plaintiff's lawyers. It is also the most significant amount Meta has ever paid to settle a class action lawsuit.