If you requested your share of Facebook's privacy settlement, your payment may already be on the way. The company has begun sending the money corresponding to the multi-million dollar settlement of $725 million, reached following a class-action lawsuit for misuse of user data.

This payment is part of the legal resolution arising from several lawsuits against Facebook (now part of Meta), related to the unauthorized sharing of personal information with third parties, such as advertising companies or data brokers. The scandal that triggered these legal actions was the Cambridge Analytica case in 2018, when it was revealed that the consulting firm accessed data from millions of users to influence political processes. Although Meta didn’t admit fault, it agreed to pay to settle the dispute.

How will you know if you’ll get the money?

People who filed a claim in 2023 and were approved are receiving emails from the Facebook User Privacy Settlement Administrator.

The email comes from donotreply@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com and has the subject line: Facebook User Privacy Settlement – ??Settlement and Distribution Status Update.

This email confirms that your claim was accepted and includes your claim number. Additionally, a second notification will be sent three to four days before the payment is issued, so it's important to check your inbox and spam folder frequently.

When will the payment be made?

Payments began being issued in September and will continue for the next 10 weeks, according to the settlement administrator.

The payment method will depend on the option you selected when you submitted your application: direct deposit, PayPal, Zelle, prepaid card, or another electronic method.

How much will the payout be?

There is no fixed amount, as the final amount depends on several factors. The available money will be distributed after covering administrative costs and legal fees. It is then divided among the claimants according to how much time each has used Facebook between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022.

For each month with an active account, users receive an "allocation point." The total points accumulated among all claimants determines how much each point is worth. Therefore, those who have used Facebook for more years will receive higher payments than those with only active accounts for a short time.

What should you do now?

If you have already submitted your claim and it was approved, all that's left to do is wait for the payment confirmation email. You don't need to do anything else except check your email regularly.

Be cautious of fraudulent emails: make sure the address is your official one and never share personal information outside of the legitimate agreement website. During times like these, cybercriminals are more active, trying to steal your data and money.