{"id":69714,"date":"2025-09-29T19:06:32","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T22:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/millions-of-facebook-users-to-get-share-of-the-platforms-725m-privacy-settlement-heres-what-to-expect\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T19:06:32","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T22:06:32","slug":"millions-of-facebook-users-to-get-share-of-the-platforms-725m-privacy-settlement-heres-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/millions-of-facebook-users-to-get-share-of-the-platforms-725m-privacy-settlement-heres-what-to-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"Millions of Facebook users to get share of the platform\u2019s $725M privacy settlement \u2014 here\u2019s what to expect"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Did you file a claim in Facebook\u2019s $725-million privacy settlement? If you did, your payout may finally be on the way.<\/p>\n

According to CBS News<\/em>, payments started going out in September and will continue over a 10-week period [1].<\/p>\n

Millions of users were eligible to file claims back in 2023, after lawsuits accused Facebook of mishandling personal data and sharing it with advertisers and data brokers.<\/p>\n

The case goes back to the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal, when the political consulting firm harvested user information to build voter profiles. Meta, Facebook\u2019s parent company, has denied any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about how much of a payment to expect, and if there are tax implications.<\/p>\n

According to a Sept. 5 court filing, the average payout is $29.43, and the maximum is capped at $38.36. The size of each payment depends on how long you used Facebook between May 24, 2007 and Dec. 22, 2022.<\/p>\n

People were given an \u201callocation point\u201d for every month they were active on Facebook. That means people who stuck with Facebook the longest will collect the largest checks, up to the maximum amount.<\/p>\n

So how do you know if you\u2019re getting paid?<\/p>\n

Read more: There’s still a 35% chance of a recession hitting the American economy this year \u2014 protect your retirement savings with these 10 essential money moves ASAP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re getting a payout, you\u2019ll get an email from \u201cFacebook User Privacy Settlement Administrator\u201d with a subject line reading: Facebook User Privacy Settlement \u2013 Settlement and Distribution Status Update. The email should include your claim ID.<\/p>\n

But hold on, don\u2019t spend it all at once.<\/p>\n

According to the IRS, nearly all income is taxable<\/a> under Internal Revenue Code Section 61, except for when there is a specific exclusion.<\/p>\n

One major exclusion comes from Section 104, which allows amounts received for personal physical injuries or physical sickness to be excluded from gross income.<\/p>\n

The CBS<\/em> reporting on the Facebook payout does not describe that the settlement was for physical harm or illness; instead, the settlement claims involve privacy violations and the sharing of user information with third parties.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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This means the payments are likely to be considered non-physical injury damages, so the amounts are probably taxable as ordinary income.<\/p>\n

Since the amounts are modest, but still extra money, don\u2019t forget to consider these practical steps:<\/p>\n