{"id":106950,"date":"2025-10-28T08:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T21:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/?p=106950"},"modified":"2025-10-28T08:36:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T21:36:12","slug":"facebook-just-agreed-to-pay-australians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/facebook-just-agreed-to-pay-australians\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook Just Agreed to Pay Australians for a Massive Privacy Fail\u2014Are You Affected?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More than 311,000 Australians<\/strong> may be eligible to claim compensation from a $50 million <\/strong>fund after Meta<\/em>, Facebook\u2019s parent company, reached a settlement over one of the largest data breaches in Australia\u2019s history. The payments follow a long-running investigation into the company\u2019s role in the Cambridge Analytica<\/em><\/strong> scandal, which exposed millions of users\u2019 private data to unauthorised access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scheme, managed independently by consultancy KPMG<\/em>, represents the largest privacy-related compensation programme in Australian legal history. The breach involved the misuse of personal information from Facebook accounts, often without the users\u2019 knowledge or consent, through a third-party app. The final deadline for eligible Australians to submit a claim is 31 December 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is Eligible for Compensation and How to Apply<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (<\/em>OAIC<\/em><\/a>)<\/em>, users can apply for compensation if they held a Facebook account between 2 November 2013<\/strong> and 17 December 2015<\/strong>, spent more than 30 days in Australia<\/strong> during that time, and either installed the app This Is Your Digital Life<\/em> or were Facebook friends with someone who did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The app, which posed as a personality quiz, was downloaded by only 53 Australians, yet data from an additional 311,074 users<\/strong> was also likely accessed due to Facebook\u2019s friend-sharing features at the time. Meta has since acknowledged its past data-sharing practices but denied liability in the settlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To apply, users must visit the official website (facebookpaymentprogram.com.au<\/strong>) and provide proof of identity, such as a driver\u2019s licence or passport, along with evidence of their Facebook account during the eligibility period. Applicants are encouraged to remain vigilant for scams<\/a>, as multiple warnings have been issued by the OAIC about fraudulent messages and impersonators posing as claim facilitators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Registrations have opened for a payment program established by Meta for Australian Facebook users impacted by the Cambridge Analytica incident.

More information is available from scheme administrator KPMG: https:\/\/t.co\/Bxd2h1nzO7<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Gc6G89oGlh<\/a><\/p>— Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (@OAICgov) June 30, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>