(NEXSTAR) – Don’t procrastinate any longer, Facebook users (and ex-Facebook users). You have just one week left to file a claim in the class action lawsuit the social media company agreed to settle earlier this year.
Facebook parent company Meta agreed to pay the sum to settle claims it allowed people’s personal data to be shared with third parties. The most famous third party to get access was Cambridge Analytica, a consulting firm that supported Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. While Meta agreed to the payout, it denies any wrongdoing.
The deadline to file a claim is Friday, Aug. 25, 2023.
If you file a claim by mail, it has to be postmarked by that date. If you file it online, it needs to be done by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time the night of Aug. 25.
If you think you’ve made a mistake on the claim form, you can also edit it before the deadline.
Millions of Americans qualify for a payment. The criteria is pretty simple: “If you were a Facebook user in the United States between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022, inclusive, you may be eligible for a cash payment,” the settlement details state.
People who deleted their Facebook accounts in that time period may also be eligible, but they will likely receive a smaller payment. How big your payout is depends in part on how long your account was active.
While millions are eligible, it’s not yet clear how many have submitted a claim. That will greatly influence how large (or small) each individual payment will be.
After the claim deadline on Aug. 25, there is still a final settlement hearing, which is scheduled for Sept. 7, 2023 at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. It’s not clear the exact date payments will be issued, but the soonest they could be sent out is after the September court date.
To file online, you’ll need to click here, answer a few questions about yourself, and then decide how you’d like to be paid (prepaid gift card, direct deposit, PayPal, etc.).
To file by mail, you’ll need to print some forms and send them in to the settlement administrator in Philadelphia.