Illinois Instagram settlement: Who’s eligible for payouts in $68.5 million lawsuit?
Rachel Schilke
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Instagram users from Illinois who have used the social media platform in the last several years could be eligible for a payout from the $68.5 million lawsuit settled between the state and the platform.
The class-action lawsuit claimed that Meta, Instagram’s parent company, violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. The law prohibits companies from collecting and storing biometric information, such as physical characteristics, that can be used to identify people.
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The Instagram suit follows several recent settlements between the state and Big Tech companies such as Google and Facebook, resulting in hundreds of Illinois residents receiving payouts.
Who is eligible to file a claim?
Illinois residents who used Instagram within the past eight years, from Aug. 10, 2015, to Aug. 16, 2023, may be eligible for a payout. The settlement administrator said the payout includes both minors and adults.
The exact payout claims are unknown, but the settlement administrator said those who file a claim by the deadline “will receive a settlement payment of a pro-rata share of the Settlement Fund.”
Eligible recipients must file a claim by Sept. 27, 2023. Those who do not want to be bound by the terms of the settlement must request exclusion in a letter and submit it by Aug. 16, 2023. Those who wish to stay in the settlement class but want to object to the settlement or the payouts must file an objection by Aug. 16.
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The final approval hearing for the settlement is scheduled for Oct. 11. A court decision will be released at a pending date after the hearing, and payments will be distributed to those who submitted a claim.
To file a claim online, click here. More information about the settlement and the suit can be found here.