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Facebook users can now apply for a portion of a $725 million settlement

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The social platform was found to have shared user data with third parties without users’ permission.

Millions of Facebook users began seeing alerts in their feeds lately about a legal settlementthat promised payouts for anyone in the U.S. who could prove they had a Facebook account during the last 15 or so years.

The payouts are the result of a $725 million settlement Facebook agreed to over the company’s unauthorized sharing of user data with third parties. The case arose out of the 2018 Cambridge-Analytica scandal.

Tech expert Omar Gallaga told Texas Standard that while some wondered whether the settlement notification was real, and others are unconvinced that applying for it is worth their time, there’s little downside to joining the settlement.

Highlights from the segment:

– The latest lawsuit settlement isn’t the first time the company has been found to be using data in unauthorized ways. Previous settlements have been more limited, geographically.

– To be eligible for a payout, you must have had a Facebook account between May 2007 and December 2022. Fill out a form at facebookuserprivacysettlement.com.

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