You may have received an email from MNP in recent months regarding compensation from a lawsuit against Facebook. This is not a scam, and you may be eligible for compensation.

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There are likely scammers who are impersonating MNP, or other entities in an effort to scam people on this lawsuit. Always be vigilant of scammers. If at any point someone is asking you to send money or credit card information – it is a scam. You will not be asked to pay any amount to receive your compensation.

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Facebook has been sued and has settled the lawsuit by paying $51 million to compensate users for privacy breaches. From 2011 to 2014, Facebook ran a “sponsored stories” program on their platform, which used users’ names and profile pictures to generate customized ads for the news feed. Essentially, Facebook would impose a user’s profile picture into an ad in an attempt to sell a product. Users were not informed that their profile picture was being used in these ads.

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A British Columbia law firm initiated the class action lawsuit against Facebook in 2012 and that claim has now been settled for $51 million. The class action lawsuit covers individuals living in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Who is eligible to make a claim?

This class action lawsuit was brought on behalf of all residents in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador who were members of Facebook at any time between January 1, 2011 and May 30, 2014, the period when Facebook ran the sponsored stories program.

You are eligible to make a claim under this lawsuit if:

1. You were a resident of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Newfoundland and Labrador at any time between January 1, 2011 to May 30, 2014;

2. You had a Facebook account at any time between January 1, 2011 and May 30, 2014;

3. Your Facebook account used your real name, or your profile picture was a photo of you; and

4. *Your name, profile picture or both were used in a Facebook sponsored story.

 

* It is difficult to determine whether a user’s name or picture was used in a sponsored story, so the settlement will presume that anyone who had an account under their name, or a profile picture of themselves is eligible for compensation.

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If you were a Facebook user during the applicable period, you should make a claim for compensation.

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How to make a claim?

MNP Canada has been appointed as the claims administrator and is responsible for managing all the notice and claims under the settlement. All claims must be submitted using the Settlement Claim Form on MNP’s official website and must be made by August 20, 2024.

When you visit MNP’s website, you will be asked to complete the claims form and provide your name and contact information, as well as information about your Facebook account. You will not be asked to provide any banking information or any payment to MNP or any other organization.

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Information related to making a claim can be found here:

https://www.mnp.ca/en/services/corporate-and-consumer-insolvency/class-action/facebook-class-action-settlement

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Receiving payment

Each eligible claimant will receive up to $200.00 as compensation under the settlement. The exact amount of each payment is unknown and will depend on the number of eligible claimants. Payments will be made by e-transfer only and will be sent to the email you provide in the claims form. The claims deadline is August 20, 2024 and the payments will be made some time following the deadline.

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Many major news outlets are reporting the details of this settlement and will likely post updated information about when payments will be sent.