Individuals who used Instagram in Illinois within a certain time frame began receiving money last week from settlement of a class-action lawsuit that alleged the app’s parent company, Meta, violated the state’s privacy laws.
The complaint against the social media platform entitled anyone who used Instagram in Illinois between Aug. 10, 2015 and Aug. 16, 2023 to claim part of the $68.5 million settlement.
The lawsuit alleged Meta violated Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, which prohibits private companies from collecting unique biological information and characteristics such as fingerprints and facial recognition data from individuals.
Meta denied the allegations but agreed to the settlement.
Users who qualified had to submit a claim by Sept. 27, 2023 to receive part of the settlement.
Electronic payments were sent out on Friday, but it could take up to 30 days for those who requested a physical check.
Last year, Meta agreed to pay out $725 million in a settlement over its use of personal data in the Cambridge Analytica scandal involving its Facebook platform. That lawsuit claimed Meta improperly harvested personal information to target political advertisements leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
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