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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Facebook agreed to a $90 million settlement over allegations that it tracked users’ online activity without consent, including through cookies associated with the Facebook Like button on other websites. The settlement also required deletion of qualifying cookie data. It was approved by the district court and upheld by the Ninth Circuit in 2024—but the $90 million was a shared fund, not a guaranteed payment of $90 to each person.
What was the Facebook privacy lawsuit about?
The consolidated case, In Re Facebook Internet Tracking Litigation, grew out of user lawsuits filed in 2011. Plaintiffs alleged that Facebook tracked their online activity without consent. The claims included allegations about cookie data received or collected when users visited non-Facebook websites displaying the Facebook Like button. The underlying tracking conduct was alleged; the settlement resolved the litigation rather than establishing that every claim was proven. The Ninth Circuit’s February 21, 2024 memorandum describes the case and settlement.
What did Facebook agree to do?
Facebook agreed to pay $90 million into a settlement fund. It also agreed to search for, collect, sequester, and delete qualifying cookie data it improperly received or collected between April 22, 2010, and September 26, 2011. The deletion provision covered, to the extent the data had not already been deleted, qualifying cookie data associated with U.S. Facebook users who visited non-Facebook websites displaying the Like button during that period. The settlement FAQ describes the fund and the non-cash relief.
Who was potentially affected?
In reviewing the settlement, the district court considered 124 million potentially affected Facebook users in the United States. That figure describes the scale of the potential class; it does not mean that 124 million people filed valid claims or received payments. The settlement website identifies the case’s final-approval hearing as October 27, 2022. The official settlement website provides the hearing information.
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How much did people receive?
The $90 million was a common fund, not a promise of $90 for each eligible person. The fund was designated to pay valid claims, notice and administration costs, attorneys’ fees and expenses, and service awards. The reviewed official settlement materials do not establish one universal per-person payout; individual amounts depended on approved claims and deductions from the fund.
The Ninth Circuit record says class counsel received approval for $26.1 million in attorneys’ fees, described as 29% of the settlement fund, along with service awards of $3,000 to $5,000 for each of seven named plaintiffs. Those payments came from the settlement arrangements and are distinct from any individual class-member claim payment. The appellate memorandum records these figures.
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Was the settlement approved?
Yes. The district court granted final approval after a fairness hearing. On February 21, 2024, the Ninth Circuit affirmed, concluding that the $90 million payment together with the injunctive relief was fair and reasonable. The court’s appendix records that rehearing was denied on April 1, 2024. The Ninth Circuit decision and appendix document the appellate outcome.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is this the separate $725 million Meta settlement?
No. The $90 million Internet Tracking Litigation settlement is different from Meta’s separate $725 million Consumer Privacy User Profile Litigation settlement. The amount and case name should not be conflated: this article concerns the alleged tracking and cookie-data claims in In Re Facebook Internet Tracking Litigation.
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