After years of legal proceedings, Facebook’s parent company Meta has agreed to a settlement with Australia’s information commissioner. Better yet, the $50 million settlement will see thousands of Aussie Facebook users eligible for a share in the payout.
Since 2020, Meta has been battling the information commissioner in the Federal Court over the infamous Cambridge Analytica data harvesting scandal.
In case you missed it when it originally happened, the scandal involved hundreds of millions of Facebook users allegedly having their personal data released to the Cambridge Analytica consulting firm, which used the private data for political advertising in the 2016 US presidential elections for Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
The way it worked was; Facebook users of an app called This Is Your Digital Life provided their psychological data to the app, which was then able to determine all sorts of information about them and their Facebook friends, which is extremely valuable for political advertising.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg apologised and admitted the scandal was a “mistake”, and settled US court cases on the “breach of trust” with a whopping US $1.1 billion settlement.
With an estimated 311,000 Aussie Facebook users impacted by the data breach, today’s $50 million settlement with Australia is the largest one paid by the social media giant anywhere outside of the US.
“Today’s settlement represents the largest ever payment dedicated to addressing concerns about the privacy of individuals in Australia,” said Elizabeth Tydd, the Australian Information Commissioner.
“It represents a substantive resolution of privacy concerns raised by the Cambridge Analytica matter, gives potentially affected Australians an opportunity to seek redress through Meta’s payment program, and brings to an end a lengthy court process.”
Because it involves people who have private data, thousands of Aussies reap a portion of the $50 million reward.
How to find out if you are eligible for Meta’s $50 million payout
Christmas has come early for the thousands of Facebook users who will get a sweet share in the payout money — but who exactly is eligible for the big Zucc bucks?
Well, while the data breach did impact Aussies who were on Facebook between a two-year period, it’s not just anyone who gets a payday.
According to the information commissioner, the settlement payment will be available to: “Individuals who were present in Australia for more than 30 days between November 2, 2013, and December 17, 2015, and either installed the This is Your Digital Life app, or who were Facebook friends of an individual who installed the This is Your Digital Life app.”
As for how much those impacted individuals can claim? Turns out it’s not as easy as dividing the millions between a few hundred thousand people.
Instead, Aussies affected by the Facebook data breach are required to “apply for a base payment based on generalised concern or embarrassment, or an alternative amount if they can demonstrate specific loss or damage”.
A spokesperson from the social networking giant said Meta hopes this settlement will allow the company to move forward from the past allegations.
“We settled as it is in the best interest of our community and shareholders that we close this chapter on allegations that relate to past practices no longer relevant to how Meta’s products or systems work today,” said the spokesperson.
“We look forward to continuing to build services Australians love and trust with privacy at the forefront.”
Lead Image: Getty
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