Getting a share of Meta's Cambridge Analytica settlement could take years

Meta owes an amount to anyone in the US with a Facebook profile active between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2020.

The company agreed to pay $725 million last December in a settlement for class action lawsuits, after allowing Cambridge Analytica to access user data without their consent. The now-defunct consultancy firm worked on the 2016 Trump campaign and used the data to influence election around the world.

On April 19, Meta opened a portal for Facebook users to claim a slice of the settlement. The portal will remain open until 11:59 pm Pacific time on August 25, 2023. Meta launched a portal on April 19 for Facebook users who want to claim their share of the settlement. The portal will remain open until August 25, 2023 at 11:59pm Pacific time. Users will need to complete eligibility checks and sign a Facebook form. They can choose between PayPal, Venmo, or bank transfer. Meta states that users can submit their claim forms online, or print them out and mail them to the Settlement Administrator: 1650 Arch Street Suite 2210, Philadelphia PA 19103.

The amount that you receive after filing a claim may be as low as $2.50. This is because more than 200,000,000 Americans had Facebook accounts during the time period in question. The settlement includes legal fees that will reduce the payout by 25% (pdf). Administrative costs are also expected to be a large part of the settlement.

It could take some time to get a payment from Meta. The US District Court for the Northern District of California set a hearing for the final approval on September 7 at 1pm local time. However, this approval could be challenged and the payment deadline may be delayed by several months or even years.