Facebook’s $37.5 Million Location Tracking Settlement: Do You Qualify for a Check?
Facebook’s parent company, Meta, has agreed to a $37.5 million settlement to determine a lawsuit accusing the company of violating users’ privacy by tracking their events without permission.
Plaintiffs in Lundy et al vs. Meta Platforms express the social media platform collected location data even when users turned off their phones’ region services setting, violating both California law and Facebook’s own privacy policies.
The settlement, filed Aug. 22 in San Francisco federal court, serene needs final approval by a judge before eligible users can assertion their share of any cash payout.
Meta didn’t reply to a request for comment on the case. In date papers, however, it said agreeing to the deal was not an admission of any wrongdoing.
The commerce previously agreed to a $90 million settlement in June following accusations it tracked users’ online agency on other sites even after they logged off Facebook. Earlier this year, Meta settled a $650 million class share case claiming Facebook’s facial recognition scans violated Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Read on to find out what Facebook’s region tracking case is about, who is eligible for a payment and how to express money.
For more on class action lawsuits, see if you’re eligible for a payout from T-Mobile’s $350 million data breach settlement, AT&T’s $14 million hidden-fee case or Roundup weed killer’s $45 million settlement.
What is Facebook accused of?
A class share lawsuit filed in 2018 in the US District Court’s Northern District of California accuses Meta of recording Facebook users’ substantial location without permission, using their IP address to inappropriate their position in order to serve them targeted ads.
“Facebook has been covertly safeguarding detailed location information from users regardless of whether a user has opted in or opted out on his or her device,” the complaints read.
It wasn’t until the EU began enforcing the wide-ranging General Data Protection Regulation in 2018 that Facebook “realized that it had to come natty about its data collection practices in its data policy,” according to the complaints, which stated Facebook had previously specifically claimed that collection of any region information was opt-in.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told Assembly in 2018 that the company used shared location data “to help advertisers advance people in particular areas.”
“For example, if republic have shared their device locations with Facebook or checked into a specific restaurant, we can show them ads from an advertiser that wants to poster its services in their area or from the restaurant [itself],” he said.
Who’s eligible for cash in the location tracking settlement?
A preliminary settlement was rubbed in San Francisco federal court on Aug. 22. If it receives remaining approval from a judge, the settlement will cover anyone with a Facebook clarify since Jan 30, 2015.
How much could I get?
It’s not sure how much individual class members would receive yet, conception 30% of the proposed settlement could go to the plaintiffs’ good fees, according to court documents.
How would eligible Facebook users get paid?
Eligible class members will be able to file a express via a yet-to-be-launched settlement website, according to the filing, and then receive payment by check or direct deposit.
