Is the Facebook Settlement Message Real or a Scam?

Here's how you can apply for a small part of the $725 million lawsuit settlement going towards Facebook users.

Facebook users are getting a $725 million lawsuit settlement, and the social platform has been sending messages letting them know. If you've spotted an email or in-app notification about the settlement, don't worry: It's not a scam.

Anyone in the US who has held a Facebook account between May 2007 and December 2022 is eligible for a payout in the wake of a legal case about Facebook data breach allegations. That's a huge range that encompasses millions.

Here's what the notifications look like, how much money you might be eligible for, and how to get it.

Facebook's Letting Everyone Know

Facebook's owner, Meta, is doing its court-ordered best to let everyone know about their chance to receive settlement money, and that involves both emails and notifications on their platform itself. Here's what to expect an alert to look like:

Facebook settlement notification

The full message explains that the issue was about claims of Facebook practicing poor data security, sharing massive amounts of private data without properly monitoring how it was used.

Facebook settlement message

Meta also notes that it “den[ies] any wrongdoing.” As it should — it just settled for $725 million to ensure its ability to make that claim was not legally challenged.

How to Get the Facebook Settlement

To actually have a chance at getting a sum of money, you'll need to fill out an online form, available from  the settlement administrator.

The claims website will look like this. It's not a scam, either, despite the text-heavy appearance of the website — just fill out your personal information, including your official Facebook user name, and pick the best payment processor.

You can find the website at facebookuserprivacysettlement.com/#submit-claim

What's the Facebook Settlement for?

In 2018, allegations became public that Facebook had allowed political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica to access the personal data of around 87 million users.

A massive data leak like that is a big deal, and the moment was a bit of a turning point for public trust in both Facebook and many other social platforms.

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How Much Money Could I Get?

We can't say exactly how much of a payout each individual will get from the settlement, but some predictions put the amount at a little under $7 in total. It's better than nothing.

The actual amount will come out of the net settlement ($725 million minus administrative and legal costs, which could be 25%), and be assigned to each user on a points system. Each month that a user held their account will give them one point. The net settlement will be divided by all the points.

So, the longer you held an account, the more you'll get.

For everyone who relies on Facebook for keeping in touch with family and friends or for running a business, however, a single-digit dollar amount definitely won't be enough to turn them away from the now-ingrained service.

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Written by:
Adam is a writer at Tech.co and has worked as a tech writer, blogger and copy editor for more than a decade. He was a Forbes Contributor on the publishing industry, for which he was named a Digital Book World 2018 award finalist. His work has appeared in publications including Popular Mechanics and IDG Connect, and his art history book on 1970s sci-fi, 'Worlds Beyond Time,' is out from Abrams Books in July 2023. In the meantime, he's hunting down the latest news on VPNs, POS systems, and the future of tech.
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