$725M Facebook Privacy Settlement (Closed)

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Data Privacy · Settlement Closed

$725 Million Facebook User Data Privacy Class Action Settlement

By Steve Levine

$725 Million Facebook User Data Privacy Class Action Settlement

Updated: June 4, 2026

Status Closed — Payments Distributing
Claim Deadline August 25, 2023 (Passed)
Estimated Payout About $27 varied by how long you were a Facebook user · from the $725M fund
Proof Required No account details only — no proof of purchase needed when filing

June 2026 Update: The first distribution is complete and the court approved a second distribution of payments on May 6, 2026, expected to begin in June 2026 over about four weeks. See our full Facebook settlement second payment update for what is confirmed.

April 2025 Update: The Facebook privacy class action is closed to new claims. The final round of appeals was denied on February 13, 2025, making the settlement final. The estimated payout is about $27 per qualifying Facebook user, based on the number of valid claims and eligible class members. The actual amount may be higher or lower, and was anticipated to come in below the estimated $27.

What Was the Facebook Privacy Settlement About?

A $725 million class action was settled with Facebook and its parent company, Meta. The case followed years of litigation over allegations that Facebook (Meta Platforms, Inc.) shared troves of user data with third parties without appropriate permission from users, and failed to properly monitor third-party use of that data. Several lawsuits were consolidated into a single umbrella case: In re: Facebook, Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation.

The third parties named in the litigation included third-party app developers, Facebook/Meta business partners, Meta advertisers, data brokers, and whitelisted parties.

In April 2023, Facebook and Meta users began receiving a legitimate notification when logging in, informing them about the settlement. The notification looked like this:

Facebook User Data Privacy Class Action Settlement notification

The Cambridge Analytica Connection

The Meta settlement is the single largest data privacy class action in U.S. history. It aimed to resolve investigations and lawsuits stemming from the 2016 election scandal over Facebook's sharing of more than 87 million users' data with a third party called Cambridge Analytica, which was connected with Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. According to the class action attorneys, Cambridge Analytica used user data without permission to profile and target voters to influence the 2016 election. Cambridge Analytica has been shuttered since the scandal broke.

Meta chose to settle the $725 million case without accepting liability or admitting wrongdoing. The Court made no judgment as to whether Facebook's conduct was right or wrong.

A History of Facebook Privacy Settlements

Beyond the $725 million data privacy settlement, Facebook has agreed to pay a $5 billion fine to the Federal Trade Commission and a $100 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and may face future litigation since the $725M settlement does not cover U.K. Facebook users. Two of the largest prior Facebook privacy settlements were:

$90 Million Facebook User Tracking SettlementFacebook agreed to pay $90,000,000 to U.S. users whose data was allegedly tracked and collected when they visited non-Facebook websites that displayed the Facebook Like button, allegedly without consent.

$650 Million Facebook BIPA SettlementFacebook funded a $650,000,000 settlement that paid $397 to hundreds of thousands of Illinois users over alleged violations of the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).

Who Qualified?

You may have qualified for compensation if you were a United States Facebook user at any point between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022. The longer you were a Facebook user during that period, the larger your share of the fund.

How Much Did Class Members Get?

After administrative costs, court fees, and attorney compensation, the remaining net settlement fund was distributed proportionally among claimants who filed valid, timely claim forms. Each person's share was determined in part by how long they were a Facebook user during the qualifying period (May 24, 2007 through December 22, 2022). The estimated payout was about $27 per claimant, subject to the number of valid claims.

Was Proof Required?

No. The settlement did not require proof of purchase. Claimants with an active account provided account details such as the associated Facebook email, phone number, and/or username. Those who had deleted their account could instead provide the dates their account was active, with no additional proof required.

Related OpenClassActions Coverage

Facebook Settlement Second Payment — June 2026 update
Facebook $725M Privacy Settlement Payments Begin (August 2025)
Facebook Settlement Payments — how the first distribution was sent
$90 Million Facebook User Tracking Settlement
Facebook's earlier $650M BIPA privacy settlement that paid $397 per user

Sources

• Official Settlement Website: FacebookUserPrivacySettlement.com
• OCA Update: Facebook Settlement Second Payment Update (June 2026)

Filing Class Action Settlement Claims

Please note that claim forms submitted with fraudulent information are rejected, and false claims may carry penalties under the penalty of perjury. Filing a false claim also harms others who actually qualify. If you are unsure whether you qualified, you could review the official notice on the administrator's website. OpenClassActions.com is a consumer advocacy and class action news site, and is not a class action administrator or a law firm. OpenClassActions is a participant in the Amazon affiliate advertising program, and this post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission or fees if you make a purchase via those links.

For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Amount $725,000,000
Case Title In re: Facebook, Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation
Case Number 3:18-md-02843-VC
Court U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Claim Deadline August 25, 2023 (Passed)