Facebook $725 million privacy settlement
$725 million paid by Meta. With $319,600.58 in accrued interest added by Meta in November 2023 and $68,219,686.02 earned in treasury bills while the case was on appeal, the fund reached $793,539,286.60 by April 1, 2026. source
In re: Facebook, Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation 路 3:18-md-02843-VC 路 U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California 路 Vince Chhabria
Who qualifies
- Everyone who was a Facebook user in the United States at any time between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022, inclusive, is a member of the settlement class. source
- Only class members who filed a valid claim form by August 25, 2023 and had it approved are paid; the claim deadline has expired. source
- Excluded: Meta's directors, officers, agents and employees and those of its affiliates; lawyers for the plaintiffs and their staff; the special master, mediators, judges and court staff on the case; and people who opted out. source
- The second distribution goes only to class members with approved claims who successfully cashed or received their first payment. source
What each group gets
| Who | Amount |
|---|---|
| Each approved claimant | One point for each month the claimant had an active Facebook account during the class period; the net fund (after fees, costs and service awards) is divided by all points, so each claimant gets the per-point value times their points. |
| First round, as paid (18,874,284 payments issued) | Average $29.43, median $32.45, smallest $4.89, largest $38.37 per claimant. |
| Second round, administrator's estimate (15,653,918 payments) | About $94.6 million to share; estimated average $6.04, median $6.19, range $4.67 to $7.32. |
| Class counsel | Attorneys' fees of 25% of the $725 million fund ($181.25 million before interest), plus costs. |
| Eight class representatives | $120,000 in service awards in total. |
Key dates
- Jun 6, 2018 Federal lawsuits over Facebook data sharing consolidated before the Northern District of California source
- Dec 22, 2022 Settlement agreement signed source
- Mar 29, 2023 Preliminary approval; notice ordered in the Facebook app and in the media source
- Jul 26, 2023 Opt-out and objection deadline source
- Aug 25, 2023 Claim form deadline source
- Sep 7, 2023 Final approval hearing source
- Oct 10, 2023 Final approval and final judgment source
- Feb 13, 2025 Ninth Circuit affirms the settlement and the fee award source
- May 22, 2025 Settlement becomes final after the appeals are resolved source
- Sep 15, 2025 First payments issued source
- Nov 17, 2025 Final batch of first-round payments issued source
- Apr 18, 2026 Unclaimed first-round payments voided source
- May 6, 2026 Court approves a second distribution source
- Jun 9, 2026 Second distribution begins source
What the case was about
On April 4, 2018, Facebook said the information of up to 87 million people, mostly in the United States, may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica, and it named the third-party app involved, "This Is Your Digital Life." The FTC later alleged that Cambridge Analytica used false and deceptive tactics to harvest personal information from millions of Facebook users. Lawsuits followed across the country, and on June 6, 2018 a federal panel consolidated them in San Francisco before Judge Vince Chhabria as In re: Facebook, Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation.
The case went wider than one firm. The plaintiffs alleged that Facebook shared or otherwise made user data, and data about users' friends, accessible to third parties, including app developers, "whitelisted" companies, business partners, advertisers and data brokers, without the users' permission, and that it did not adequately monitor or enforce how that data was used. Meta denied the allegations and any wrongdoing. The court's final approval order states that the settlement is not an admission of liability or fault. Separately, in July 2019 the FTC announced a $5 billion penalty against Facebook over alleged violations of a 2012 privacy order, including sharing friends' data with third-party app developers.
The case was fought hard before it settled. Meta produced more than one million documents, the plaintiffs deposed 34 fact witnesses and 13 corporate representatives, and mediation ran from August 2021 to August 2022. The $725 million agreement was signed on December 22, 2022 and approved on October 10, 2023. Two objectors appealed the settlement and the 25% fee award. On February 13, 2025 the Ninth Circuit affirmed both, describing the case as one originating from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The settlement became final on May 22, 2025.
The claims count shows how big the class was. The administrator estimated 250 million class members and received 28,651,916 claim forms, of which 19,046,536 were validated, or about 7.6% of the class. It flagged 8,309,626 forms as having multiple indicators of fraud and denied them unless the claimant appealed successfully. Of the $556.1 million sent out in the first round, $466.0 million reached claimants. After 211,850 checks went uncashed and 3,008,516 digital payments expired, $100.5 million remained in the fund, which the court ordered paid out in a second round.
The company's full record: Meta Platforms file.
Questions people ask
When will I get my Facebook settlement payment?
The first round of payments is complete. A second round began on June 9, 2026 for approved claimants who successfully received their first payment, and the administrator says it emails each eligible claimant 3-4 days before their payment is issued. source
How much is the Facebook settlement payout per person?
In the first round the average payment was $29.43, the median $32.45 and the largest $38.37. The administrator estimated second-round payments at about $6.04 on average, between $4.67 and $7.32. source
Can I still file a claim in the Facebook settlement?
No. The deadline to file a claim expired on August 25, 2023. source
Why did I not get a second Facebook settlement payment?
The second payment goes only to class members with approved claims who successfully cashed their first payment. The administrator says claimants can check their claim status by emailing info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com with their Claim ID. source
Is the Facebook settlement email legit?
The court-appointed administrator runs FacebookUserPrivacySettlement.com and contacts claimants from info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com. It sends payment notices 3-4 days before a payment and a second-chance email about 50 days after a digital payment fails. source
Did Facebook admit wrongdoing in the Cambridge Analytica settlement?
No. The final approval order says the settlement is not an admission of liability or fault by Meta, and Meta denied the allegations. source
Status history
- Dec 22, 2022 Meta and the class representatives sign a $725 million settlement. source
- Aug 25, 2023 Claim period closes. source
- Oct 10, 2023 Judge Chhabria grants final approval and enters final judgment. source
- Nov 9, 2023 Objectors file two notices of appeal, holding up payments. source
- Feb 13, 2025 The Ninth Circuit affirms the settlement and the attorneys' fee award. source
- May 22, 2025 The appeals are resolved and the settlement becomes final. source
- Sep 15, 2025 The administrator starts paying approved claimants by check, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, ACH and prepaid card. source
- Apr 30, 2026 The administrator reports the first round complete, with $466.0 million delivered and $100.5 million left in the fund. source
- May 6, 2026 The court approves a second distribution of the remaining money. source
- Jun 9, 2026 Second-round payments begin, scheduled over the following four weeks. source