Facebook's $725 Million Privacy Settlement Payouts Revealed: Users To Receive Between $4.89 And $38.36 As Payments Roll Out - Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META)

Core Insights - Meta Platforms Inc. has initiated payments from a $725 million privacy settlement, with eligible Facebook users receiving between $4.89 and $38.36 based on account activity during the settlement period [1][2]. Payment Details - The minimum payout is $4.89, the maximum is $38.36, and the average payment is $29.43, as reported [2]. - Payments are being processed by Angeion, the court-appointed administrator, over a 10-week distribution period [2]. - Users earn points for each month of active Facebook account usage from May 2007 to December 2022, with a maximum of 188 points leading to the highest payout of $38.36 [3]. Legal Context - The settlement arises from allegations that Facebook shared user data with third parties, particularly Cambridge Analytica, without user consent, affecting up to 87 million users [3][4]. - Meta denies any wrongdoing despite agreeing to the settlement amount [4]. Financial Performance - Meta reported second-quarter revenue of $47.52 billion, exceeding Wall Street estimates of $44.58 billion, and anticipates third-quarter revenue between $47.5 billion and $50.5 billion [5]. - The company forecasts full-year 2025 expenses of $114 billion to $118 billion, with capital expenditures between $66 billion and $72 billion, indicating ongoing investments in infrastructure and AI [6]. Stock Performance - Meta shares experienced a slight decline of 0.14% on Thursday and are down 4.95% over the past month [6]. - Despite recent stock declines, Meta continues to show a strong performance trajectory across various time horizons [7].