INSTAGRAM users could get a piece of a huge $68million payout thanks to a recent class action lawsuit settlement.
Instagram chose to write the check after Illinois residents claimed that the social media app violated Illinois' Information Privacy Act.
1
The settlement states that those eligible are Illinois residents who have used Instagram any time between August 10, 2015, and August 16, 2023.
According to the complaint, the tech company allegedly collected and stored biometric information, which includes human characteristics like fingerprints.
This is allegedly a violation of laws that bar companies from collecting this data as it could potentially be sold or traded to another person.
While the company denies any wrongdoing, it has agreed that the easiest solution is to pay out the money to users and avoid a nasty lawsuit.
read more tech stories
The amount paid out depends on the number of people who choose to file as the payments will be divided equally among plaintiffs.
Those eligible for the settlement have to apply by September 27, 2023, to get the direct payment.
If you qualify, but do not want to be bound to the terms, you must submit a letter requesting exclusion by August 16.
Those who wish to stay in the class of plaintiffs but object to the payout must file an objection with the court by August 16.
Most read in News Tech
The settlement will be finally approved on October 11.
It's unclear when the payments will actually go through, as any appeals must be resolved beforehand.
"If there are appeals, resolving them can take time," said the Settlement Administrator. "Please be patient."
Claims can be filed on the class action suit's website.
The settlement mirrors a different Facebook lawsuit that ended with the company agreeing to pay $725million to millions of users earlier this year.
In December, Mark Zuckerberg’s company agreed to the settlement terms after a lawsuit alleged the social media platform allowed millions of its user’s personal information to be fed to third parties.
Most notably, Facebook was accused of sharing personal data with Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported former President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, according to the Associated Press.
In 2018, it was revealed that the firm paid a Facebook app developer for personal information of approximately 87 million users.
The firm ultimately used that data to target US voters during the 2016 presidential election.
A federal judge in San Francisco granted preliminary approval for the settlement on March 29.
Claims for this suit must be submitted online or by mail through August 25, 2023.
