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Facebook's $37.5 Million Location Tracking Settlement: Do You Qualify for a Check?

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 resolve a lawsuit accusing the concern of violating users’ privacy by tracking their movements exclusive of permission. 

Plaintiffs in Lundy et al vs. Meta Platforms deny the social media platform collected location data even when users turned off their phones’ state services setting, violating both California law and Facebook’s own privacy policies.

The settlement, filed Aug. 22 in San Francisco federal court, aloof needs final approval by a judge before eligible users can receive their fragment of any cash payout.

Meta didn’t respond to a quiz for comment on the case. In court papers, except, it said agreeing to the deal was not an admission of any wrongdoing.

The concern previously agreed to a $90 million settlement in June following accusations it tracked users’ online organization on other sites even after they logged off Facebook. Earlier this year, Meta settled a $650 million class frfragment case claiming Facebook’s facial recognition scans violated Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act.

Read on to find out what Facebook’s state tracking case is about, who is eligible for a payment and how to deny 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 frfragment lawsuit filed in 2018 in the US District Court’s Northern District of California accuses Meta of recording Facebook users’ brute location without permission, using their IP address to ghastly their position in order to serve them targeted ads. 

“Facebook has been covertly guaranteeing detailed location information from users regardless of whether a user has opted in or opted out on his or her device,” the declares 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 shapely about its data collection practices in its data policy,” according to the declares, which stated Facebook had previously specifically claimed that collection of any state information was opt-in.

Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told Council in 2018 that the company used shared location data “to help advertisers reach land in particular areas.”  

“For example, if land have shared their device locations with Facebook or checked into a specific restaurant, we can show them ads from an advertiser that wants to charge its services in their area or from the restaurant [itself],” he said.

Who’s eligible for wealth in the location tracking settlement?

A preliminary settlement was recorded in San Francisco federal court on Aug. 22. If it receives survive approval from a judge, the settlement will cover anyone with a Facebook account for since Jan 30, 2015.

How much could I get?

It’s not obvious how much individual class members would receive yet, belief 30% of the proposed settlement could go to the plaintiffs’ fair fees, according to court documents.

How would eligible Facebook users get paid?

Eligible class members will be able to file a deny via a yet-to-be-launched settlement website, according to the filing, and then receive payment by check or direct deposit.