Facebook has to pay users $725 million back

Sad Face for Mr. Zuckerberg? Users are entitled to financial compensation.

In the course of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook has to pay back its users $725 million. This emerges from a recent court ruling (Techradar and CNBC have reported). With the payment, the Facebook parent company Meta can avert a lawsuit.

The background: Facebook has been accused of misleading users about how much control the social media player has over private data.

The sticking point: Facebook is said to have passed on data to third parties – in this case to Cambridge Analytica, a data analysis company from the USA. Facebook is accused of leaking the record of 533 million Facebook users to hackers.

Just below are some of the most important key data for users:

• Until August 25th those who are entitled to compensation must take action.
• is eligiblewho had a Facebook account between May 24, 2007 and December 22, 2022 – and has a residential address in the United States.
• European Union or European Economic Area: According to Der Standard, anyone who lives here can also claim damages. The prerequisite, however, is: Proof of having been harmed.

How do I get my money?

Claimants from the United States can submit their compensation via facebookuserprivacysettlement.com. The Austrian daily newspaper Der Standard recommends the website haveibeenpwned.com for citizens of the European Union to see whether they have been affected by Facebook’s data leak – and to claim damages.

Are you already holding out your hands to receive the rain of money – or do you think that from the 725 million euros only a cent will remain for you in the end? And anyway: Who still uses Facebook? Feel free to share in the comments what you would do with the money.