You may have received an email describing that Facebook is the subject of a class action lawsuit over Sponsored Stories permissions. Like all mass emails regarding a lawsuit against a major company, this email provides you with several options, and listing yourself as a complainant might get you a little bit of money. In the case of the latest Facebook lawsuit, all of the complainants will be entitled to a sum of … $10.
Business Insider reports that Facebook got caught red-handed uses people’s likenesses without express permission for Sponsored Stories. If you’re a Facebook user whose likeness has been used in this regard, you can claim a piece of a $20 million pie, but because so many people’s likenesses were used without permission, that pie divides up into the price of lunch tomorrow afternoon if you elect to participate.
The class action lawsuit alleged that Facebook didn’t have the legal right to use members’ likenesses in Sponsored Stories Posts. Buzzfeed reports that while Facebook obviously disagreed, they decided to settle out of court for the sum of $20 million rather than risk litigation.
If you’re eligible, you will have received an email titled “LEGAL NOTICE OF SETTLEMENT OF CLASS ACTION” written in dense legal jargon. Twitter is full of Facebook users wondering if the email is legit:
Is this for real? Just got an email notice of a Facebook Class Action settlement? twitter.com/geekgiant/stat…
— Eric Berto (@geekgiant) January 26, 2013
Indeed, it is! You can file a claim form here (it takes five minutes) and then wait for your check, which will be sent out after June.
There is one caveat, but it’s a biggie: “If the number of claims made renders it economically infeasible to pay money to persons who make a timely and valid claim, payment will be made to the not-for-profit organizations identified on the Settlement website at www.fraleyfacebooksettlement.com.”
Did you get an email about Facebook’s class action lawsuit? Did you file a claim for your $10?
