The last day to avail a piece of the multi-million-dollar settlement payout of Oracle is fast approaching after the business software maker agreed to settle claims that it violated the privacy of "hundreds of millions" by selling their information to third parties.
The Hill reported that Oracle agreed to pay out a whopping $115 million to settle a class action suit and claimants have until Oct. 17 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time to file their claims. While the company maintained that it has not done anything wrong, it has agreed to the payout.
The lawsuit filed against the software giant claims that the company tracks personal information of hundreds of millions of people. It also alleges that the company collects information on a person's purchases, location and even their search history.
The lawsuit then alleges that this personal information is being sold by the company to other companies. It also claimed that since people "lack a direct relationship with Oracle," they don't have any way to even consent to the information being shared, reported Fox8..
Oracle may not be as popular as other customer-oriented software companies, with products that users normally interact with, but it is actually one of the largest tech companies in the U.S. Their software is usually used behind the scenes.
Oracle is a leading developer of databases used in various industries. Banks, hospitals and retail establishments would often make use of Oracle databases to store patient and customer records,
Those who are eligible to receive a part of the payout can file their claims on or before Thursday's deadline.
A claimant is eligible to receive a part of the payout if he or she has lived in the U.S. for a certain period since Aug. 19, 2018, and that their personal data "was acquired, captured, or otherwise collected by Oracle Advertising technologies or made available for use or sale by or through ID Graph, Data Marketplace, or any other Oracle Advertising product or service."
Based on the definition alone, it might be a bit difficult to ascertain whether personal data was affected.
Some of those who were affected have already received notifications via email. However, one can still file a claim even without having received an email by simply filling out a form at Katz Privacy Settlement website and submitting it. The claims will not be paid until a final court approval will be granted for the settlement. Hearing for the final approval is scheduled on Nov. 14.
