Since Facebook settled a big privacy lawsuit this year, millions of users applied to get a share of the money the social media platform agreed to pay out as part of the deal.
After the application deadline, over 500,000 Americans who applied have had their settlement claims rejected, and more rejection letters could still be on the way as claims are reviewed.
Here’s everything you need to know if you applied, including how to find out if your application was rejected, where to check your application status, and why it’s hard to say when you might get your payment.
How to Tell If Your Facebook Settlement Claim Has Been Rejected
Tech giant Meta, owner of Facebook, agreed to pay $725 million to settle a privacy lawsuit. This lawsuit was about how Facebook handled users’ privacy poorly. In April, Facebook notified its users that they could apply for a part of this money if they were affected.
People could apply all summer, and the deadline was August 25th. By September 7th, they had already validated over 17 million claims.
On October 11th, the judge finally approved the settlement, but not without some objections first. Now, we’re waiting to see if the decision will be appealed. Two people who objected have already filed appeals.
According to The Hill, 28 million Americans have applied for compensation through Angeion, the company handling the case. This makes it the most applied-for claim in US history. Out of those claims, 500,000 have been turned down.
If your claim didn’t make it, you might have already gotten an email about it. Make sure to check both your main inbox and spam folder. If your claim was rejected, you have 10 days to appeal.
It’s a good idea to ask Angeion to review your claim again. With so many applications, mistakes can happen – especially with the largest claim ever in the US.
How to Check the Status of Your Facebook Settlement Claim Application
Stay updated on the latest news about the Facebook privacy settlement through Angeion’s claims portal. If you have questions, you can call Angeion using the number provided on their website. Check out the FAQs section for answers to common questions from other applicants.
It’s important to note that the Facebook privacy settlement discussed here is different from the location-tracking settlement Facebook is also dealing with, and it has its own claims process.
What is the Facebook Settlement Payout Date?
Unfortunately, there’s still no set date for when people who successfully claimed can expect to get paid. The legal battle isn’t over yet, even though the claim has been officially approved.
Right now, the Angeion claims portal mentioned earlier in this article explains that despite the Court’s order approving everything and dismissing the objections, two people who objected have now appealed.
Because of these appeals, the money from the settlement can’t be given out to those who are eligible just yet. It could take a while to resolve these appeals, and we’ll learn more as that process goes on.
It’s estimated that once payments are made, each person who qualifies might receive around $30.