This settlement resolves claims that TED shared what logged-in users watched with third-party analytics providers without their written consent, under the Video Privacy Protection Act. If you had a TED account and watched a talk on ted.com or in the apps between October 19, 2021 and July 14, 2026, two free months of TED Membership come to you automatically — or you can file by October 26, 2026 and take $5 in cash instead.
Current Status
Claims are open and the deadline is October 26, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. That same date is also the deadline to exclude yourself or to object.The Court granted preliminary approval and authorized the notice, but it has not granted final approval. The Final Approval Hearing is set for November 12, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. before Judge Dale E. Ho in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and the notice warns the hearing may be postponed without notice.
No benefit is delivered yet. The notice states that benefits go out about 60 days after final approval and after any appeals process is complete. TED denies disclosing anything unlawfully, and the Court has not decided who is right.
What Changed Recently?
The claim window is the development. The Court preliminarily approved the settlement and authorized the notice program, and the notice start date was extended by stipulation, which is why the class period runs all the way to July 14, 2026 — unusually close to the present for a case filed in 2023.One date matters if you are weighing an objection: class counsel's request for attorneys' fees was due to be filed with the Court and posted on the settlement website by September 10, 2026, more than six weeks before the objection deadline. Anyone who wants to see what is actually being requested before deciding should look there rather than guess.
Who Qualifies?
The settlement class is all TED account holders in the United States who watched a pre-recorded video on ted.com or on TED's iOS or Android mobile applications between October 19, 2021 and July 14, 2026.Two parts of that definition do the work. You must have had a TED account — the claim theory depends on a logged-in user being identifiable, so watching a talk without an account does not put you in the class. And the video must have been pre-recorded, which is what the Video Privacy Protection Act reaches.
How Much Can You Get?
This settlement is structured differently from most, and the default is not cash. Every class member automatically receives the TED Membership Benefit: two free months of TED Membership, which the notice describes as having a value of at least $10. You do not file anything to get it.You can instead choose one of two alternatives, and either one requires submitting a claim form:
- $5 in cash, subject to pro rata reduction. TED will pay no more than $350,000 in cash in total, so if valid cash claims exceed that cap, every claimant receives a proportionate share instead of the full $5.
- The donation option, where you direct your cash payment to TED Foundation Inc. instead of taking it yourself. TED Foundation Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) private foundation.
Choosing either alternative forfeits the membership benefit. You cannot take both.
That produces an unusual decision for a settlement: the option requiring no effort is the one with the higher stated value. Two free months valued at $10 or more is nominally worth more than a $5 cash payment that may shrink under the cap. The cash is the better choice only if you would not actually use a TED Membership, because an activation link you never redeem is worth nothing. Weigh it on that basis rather than on the headline numbers.
One more thing is worth knowing about the donation option. The notice is explicit that it is not the same as opting out: a class member who donates is still bound by the settlement and still releases their claims. It redirects the money; it does not preserve your right to sue.
What TED Agreed to Change
Beyond the money, the settlement includes injunctive relief aimed at the data flows the case was about. TED agreed to present U.S. account holders whose event data will be transmitted to Open Web with an affirmative consent option, and to cease transmitting U.S. account holders' first and last names or email addresses to Mixpanel, using reasonable efforts to discontinue storing that existing data there. TED also confirmed it no longer uses the third-party service Leanplum.What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
Nothing at all if you are content with the membership benefit — it arrives without a claim form.If you want the cash or the donation option, the claim is gated on credentials from your notice: an 8-digit Claim ID and a 4-digit PIN, entered on the settlement website. Each Claim ID can be used for one claim only. That identifier requirement is why this page marks proof as required — a class member who never received or cannot find the notice cannot simply file anyway. The settlement website has a contact route for exactly that situation, and anyone in it should use it well before the deadline.
A paper claim form can be printed from the settlement website's documents page and mailed instead of filing online.
What Is the Deadline?
October 26, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. for claims. The same date applies to exclusion requests and to objections, and an objection that also asks to speak at the hearing must be filed with the Court and postmarked by then.There is no deadline attached to the membership benefit itself, because there is nothing to file — but there is a later step to remember. The activation link arrives about 60 days after final approval and any appeals are resolved, and the benefit depends on your agreeing to activate it.
How Do You Take Action?
Everything runs through the official settlement website, TED VPPA Settlement, which is operated by the court-appointed administrator and hosts the online claim form, the long-form notice, the settlement agreement, the preliminary approval order and the paper claim form.The Court has appointed a settlement administrator to run notice, claims and payments, but the notice and the settlement website refer to it only as "the TED Settlement Administrator" and do not name the firm, so this page does not name one either.
If you are taking the cash, the practical detail worth acting on is the payment method. Cash is paid by check by default, and checks expire and become void 180 days after they are issued. The claim form lets you elect PayPal or Venmo instead, which removes both the mail-delivery risk and the expiry risk.
Opting Out and Objecting
Excluding yourself is the only route that preserves your right to sue TED over these claims. It requires mailing a signed letter that gives your name, address and signature, names the case and its number, and states that you want to be excluded, by October 26, 2026. Excluding yourself means no benefit at all — no cash and no membership.Objecting keeps you in the class and keeps your benefit. Objections are filed with the Court, with copies to class counsel and TED's counsel, by the same date. The notice sets out detailed requirements: your reasons with citations and supporting evidence, an explanation of why you are a class member, the contact information of any attorney assisting you, and your signature. It also requires disclosure of any prior class action objection where you or your attorney sought or received payment in exchange for dropping the objection — a serial-objector provision worth noting, though it affects very few people.
What Are You Giving Up?
If the settlement becomes final, every class member who does not opt out releases TED and certain affiliates from the claims this settlement resolves. The release binds you whether or not you file a claim, whether or not you activate the membership, and whether or not you object. That is the reason to take some benefit rather than none: doing nothing does not preserve anything.What Happens Next?
The claim, exclusion and objection window closes October 26, 2026. The Court then holds the Final Approval Hearing on November 12, 2026 and decides whether the settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate, along with class counsel's request for fees, costs and administration expenses of no more than $700,000 and service awards of up to $2,500 for each of the three class representatives, which TED pays separately.A scheduled hearing is not an approval. If approval is granted, benefits follow roughly 60 days after that and after any appeal is resolved — so even a smooth approval in November would not put activation links or checks out until well into 2027. The official website is where updates appear.
Sources and Verification
• Long Form Notice and Email Notice, Sutton v. TED Foundation Inc., Case No. 1:23-cv-09219-DEH (S.D.N.Y.), Hon. Dale E. Ho• Settlement Agreement and Order Granting Preliminary Approval, as posted on the settlement website's documents page
• Stipulation Extending the Notice Start Date
• Online claim form and its Claim ID and PIN requirements
• Official settlement website
Questions
Who is included in the TED video privacy settlement?
All TED account holders in the United States who watched a pre-recorded video on ted.com or on TED's iOS or Android mobile applications between October 19, 2021 and July 14, 2026. You need to have had a TED account — watching without an account does not put you in the class.
What do I get if I do nothing?
Two free months of TED Membership, described in the notice as having a value of at least $10. It is not entirely hands-off: the benefit is subject to your agreement to activate it, and the notice says eligible class members receive a link to activate roughly 60 days after final approval and any appeals are complete. If you never activate that link, you do not get the benefit — and you are still bound by the release.
Should I take the membership or the $5 cash?
It depends on whether you would use TED Membership. On paper the membership is the larger benefit, valued at a minimum of $10 against a $5 cash payment that can be reduced pro rata if many people claim. The cash is worth choosing if you would not otherwise use a TED Membership, since an unused benefit is worth nothing. You cannot have both: choosing cash or the donation option forfeits the membership.
What is the donation option?
Instead of taking the $5 for yourself, you can direct that your cash payment be remitted to TED Foundation Inc. as a donation. The notice is explicit that this is not the same as opting out: you remain bound by the settlement and you still release your claims. TED Foundation Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) private foundation.
What do I need to file a claim?
The Claim ID and PIN from the notice you received — an 8-digit Claim ID and a 4-digit PIN, entered on the settlement website. Each Claim ID can be used for one claim only. The settlement website has a contact route for class members who cannot find their Claim ID. Claims are due October 26, 2026 at 11:59 p.m., online or by mailing a paper claim form.
How much will the cash payment actually be?
$5.00, subject to pro rata reduction. TED will pay no more than $350,000 in total cash, so if valid claims exceed that cap, every cash claimant receives a proportionate share rather than the full $5. The notice says class counsel can be contacted to ask how many claims have been filed.
When would benefits be delivered?
About 60 days after the settlement is finally approved and any appeals process is complete. The Final Approval Hearing is set for November 12, 2026. Cash is paid by check unless you elect PayPal or Venmo, and checks expire 180 days after they are issued.
What is TED changing about its data practices?
The settlement includes injunctive relief. TED agreed to present U.S. account holders whose event data would be transmitted to Open Web with an affirmative consent option, and to stop transmitting U.S. account holders' first and last names or email addresses to Mixpanel while using reasonable efforts to discontinue storage of that existing data. TED also confirmed it no longer uses the third party Leanplum.
Official Settlement Notice
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