It’s been a long wait, but the payments from the Facebook Internet Tracking Settlement are finally being distributed—nearly three years after claims were first submitted. If you were part of this class action lawsuit and selected PayPal as your payment method, you may have already received your funds today, April 10, 2025.
A Quick Recap: What Was the Facebook Internet Tracking Lawsuit About?
The Facebook Internet Tracking Settlement stems from a class action lawsuit filed against Meta Platforms, Inc. (formerly Facebook, Inc.) concerning how the company allegedly tracked user activity outside of its platform.
Between April 22, 2010 and September 26, 2011, Facebook was accused of collecting data from users even when they were browsing non-Facebook websites that displayed a Facebook “Like” button or other plugins. This tracking allegedly occurred without users’ consent and persisted even after they logged out of Facebook. According to the lawsuit, Facebook’s actions violated federal and state privacy and wiretapping laws.
Facebook denied any wrongdoing or liability, but ultimately agreed to a $90 million settlement to resolve the claims and avoid the time and cost of litigation. The settlement was approved in 2022, and users were invited to submit claims through the official website FBInternetTrackingSettlement.com.
Who Was Eligible to File a Claim?
The settlement applied to individuals in the United States who met all of the following criteria:
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Had a Facebook account between April 22, 2010, and September 26, 2011.
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Visited non-Facebook websites during that time which displayed the Facebook “Like” button or similar social plugins.
If you met those criteria, you likely received an official email from the settlement administrator. Claimants were able to file a claim with only their email address and a Facebook account ID—no sensitive personal or financial information was required at that stage.
The deadline to file a claim was September 22, 2022.
The Long Wait for Payment
Many users, understandably, began to question whether this payout would ever arrive. The claim deadline passed in 2022, but for almost three years, there was little to no public update about when payments would be sent.
Today, however—April 10, 2025—marks a turning point. Reports indicate that the first wave of payments is now reaching claimants who selected PayPal as their payment method. Other payment methods such as Venmo, Zelle, or mailed checks may follow soon.
How Much Money Are People Receiving?
The exact payment amount depends on the number of valid claims submitted. Because the total settlement fund is $90 million (after administrative costs and attorney fees), each eligible claimant receives an equal share of what’s left—meaning larger participation results in smaller payouts per person. Personally, I received $40.67 in PayPal.
In comparison, another Facebook class action involving Illinois residents under the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) led to much higher payouts—over $300 per person—thanks to a significantly larger $650 million settlement fund and a more narrowly defined class.
While the Internet Tracking Settlement payments may be smaller, they still represent a meaningful acknowledgment of the importance of user privacy and the right to control personal data.
What Should You Do Now?
If you filed a claim and selected PayPal as your payment method, check your PayPal account and email inbox (including your spam folder) for a notification. The payment may appear with a note referencing the Facebook Internet Tracking Settlement.
If you chose a different payment method, keep an eye out over the coming days or weeks. It’s likely that payments will be issued in batches.
Though the road to this payout has been unusually long, today’s developments confirm that the process is real and the money is indeed going out. It’s a reminder that class action lawsuits can take time—sometimes years—but they do eventually lead to results.
If you were part of this settlement and haven’t seen your payment yet, remain patient. And if you missed out on filing a claim, this serves as a useful lesson to keep an eye out for future class actions that may apply to you.
