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Facebook Begins Paying U.S. Users in $725 Million Data-Privacy Settlement

The case stems from allegations of improper data sharing tied to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Overview

  • Payments started in early September and are being issued in weekly batches over roughly 10 weeks, with claimants receiving an email notice 3–4 days before funds are sent.
  • Only U.S. users who had an active account between May 24, 2007 and Dec. 22, 2022 and filed by the August 2023 deadline are eligible.
  • Individual awards are calculated by allocation points that reflect how many months a user maintained an active account during the eligibility window.
  • Typical payouts are modest, with reporting citing an average of about $30 and amounts ranging roughly from $4.89 to $38.36 depending on usage length.
  • After court-approved deductions — about $180 million in attorneys’ fees, nearly $4 million in administrative costs, and $120,000 for class representatives — roughly $541 million remains for distribution.