Facebook users who opted in to the $725 million class action lawsuit settlement could be receiving their piece of pie soon, but how can Californians get theirs?

The settlement comes after several Facebook users brought lawsuits alleging that the social media company made user data accessible to third parties without their permission, USA Today previously reported.

The lawsuits stem from Cambridge Analytica scandal, a marketing firm accused of using Facebook user information to target voters in the 2016 presidential election.

Although the social media giant denied any wrongdoing in the settlement, it’s parent company, Meta, agreed to a settlement to avoid going to trial, USA Today reported.

Who Can Claim the Facebook Settlement?

The deadline for qualified users to file a claim in the In re: Facebook, Inc. Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation lawsuit ended in August 2025. Only users who had a Facebook account between May 24, 2007, and December 22, 2022, according to settlement website.

Users who chose not to opt out of the settlement and didn’t file a claim would retain their right to sue in the future.

How Many Californians are Supposed to Get Money?

The number of people who qualified for the settlement is somewhere between 250 million to 280 million people, USA Today reported. The amount users can receive depends on how many people submitted a claim.

About 6,787,507 California users were estimated to have been affected by the leak, according to a Meta document.

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Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: How many Californians will benefit from the $725 million Facebook settlement?

Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun

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