Facebook Users Who Filed Claims Related to Meta's Cambridge Analytica Scandal Are Getting Paid

It's been nearly a decade since Cambridge Analytica went from being a British political consulting firm to the company that might have helped get Donald Trump elected the first time — depending on who you ask.

According to The Guardian, Cambridge Analytica was funded by a wealthy Republican donor named Robert Mercer. Its goal was to use "psychographic profiles" of United States voters to help candidates win.

Mercer provided $15 million to Cambridge Analytica, but the company was missing one crucial thing: data. They ultimately "harvested private information from the Facebook profiles of more than 50 million users without their permission," per The New York Times.

In December 2022, Facebook's parent company was hit with a huge class action lawsuit. If you were lucky enough to file a claim, part of the privacy settlement could be heading your way. Here's what we know.

CNN reports that in 2018, the private information of as many as 87 million Facebook users was used by Cambridge Analytica, who worked with President Trump's 2016 campaign. The $725 million settlement was reached in December 2022.

If you had an active Facebook account between May 24, 2007, and Dec. 22, 2022, you were eligible to file a claim. The deadline to file was Aug. 25, 2023.

Of the 87 million Facebook users whose data was breached, 29 million claims were filed, 19 million of which were settled by September 2023. The payments were determined by how long a user was on Facebook during that time period.

Although the deadline passed more than two years ago, two appeals were filed, thus pushing the settlement date back. It was finalized in May 2025, and on Aug. 27, Meta was ordered by the courts to distribute the settlement benefits.

If your claim was approved, you should receive an email up to four days prior to your payout being issued. Anyone with a claim ID can email the settlement administrator at info@facebookuserprivacysettlement.com to check on the status of your claim.

The entire settlement isn't going directly to Facebook users with approved claims. Of the $725 million, about $540 million will be used to cover the settlement claims.

"Class members who were active on Facebook longer, and who therefore may have more valuable claims, will receive a larger share of the settlement," said Meta in the claim.

Anyone with an approved claim will receive payment directly via their bank account, or through PayPal, a virtual prepaid Mastercard, Venmo, or Zelle.

People on social media are already posting about their settlement payments, but it's not looking good.

"I’ve had Facebook since 2006 so tell me why this is all I got in the privacy settlement," asked one X user alongside a screenshot of a $4.89 payment.

Another said they got $38.00 but will happily spend it at Ruth’s Chris.