Meta has once again settled with an agreement to pay users for violating their privacy. Have you received messages from Facebook that say you can get money from the settlement lawsuit? If you’re wondering whether the settlement is real or fake — and how to claim a payment, keep on reading! 

Facebook User Privacy Settlement – NOT a Scam 

Officially known as “In re: Facebook, Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation, Case No. 3:18-md-02843-VC (N.D. Cal.)”, the Facebook privacy settlement was a class action lawsuit that alleged that Facebook had shared users’ data WITHOUT their permission. 

Meta has not admitted any wrongdoing. Nonetheless, they have agreed to pay $725 million to settle the lawsuit. According to the settlement website (facebookuserprivacysettlement.com), if you were a US Facebook user between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022, you are eligible to claim a cash payment from this class action settlement 

How to Apply for Your Share of the Facebook Settlement  

If you are eligible for the payment, you need to submit a claim no later than August 25, 2023. Claim forms can either be submitted online or downloaded and mailed to the settlement administrator at: 

Facebook Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation,  
c/o Settlement Administrator,  
1650 Arch Street,  
Suite 2210,  
Philadelphia,  
PA 19103.  

For more information regarding the lawsuit, head over here. 

Facebook Internet Tracking Settlement – 100% Legitimate 

Back in June 2022, Meta also agreed to pay $90 million following a lawsuit named “Facebook Internet Tracking Litigation”, which related to the improper obtaining of user data (again, with the charge denied). 

The Facebook internet tracking settlement — officially known as “In Re Facebook Internet Tracking Litigation, Case No. 5:12-MD-02314-EJD (N.D. California)” — alleged that between April 22, 2010, and September 26, 2011, Facebook improperly obtained data from its users in the US. It is alleged that they did so via non-Facebook websites that displayed a linked FB Like button. 

If you browsed non-Facebook websites that displayed the Facebook Like button between April 22, 2010, and September 26, 2011, you may be eligible to receive a share of the payment. The deadline for submitting a claim form was September 22, 2022. If your claim was approved, you should have already received your share of the payment. 

For more information regarding the lawsuit, head over here. 

ScamCheck — the Easiest Way to Detect Scams 

Although these Facebook settlements are NOT a scam, there are plenty of actual scams out there that you need to be aware of, including settlement payment scams.  Trend Micro ScamCheck, our 100% FREE browser extension and mobile app, will protect you against malicious websites, links, and emails — what are you waiting for? 

Monitor Your Social Media Privacy 

We would also encourage readers to head over to our new FREE ID Protection platform, which has been designed to meet challenges such as those above. With it, you can secure your social media accounts with our Social Media Account Monitoring tool, with which you’ll receive a personal report. 

Aside from this, you can also: 

• Check to see if your data (email, number, password, social media) has been exposed in a leak. 
• Receive the strongest tough-to-hack password suggestions from our advanced AI. 

All this for FREE — give it a go today. As always, we hope this article has been an interesting and/or useful read. If so, please do SHARE it with family and friends to help keep the online community secure and informed — and consider leaving a like or comment below. Here’s to a secure 2023!