Meta Signs $37.5 Million Deal Over Facebook Location Tracking

Meta Platforms Inc. signed a $37.5 million class settlement with Facebook users who say the platform continued tracking their locations after they turned off location services on their devices, according to a filing in San Francisco federal court.

The settlement, announced Monday in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, covers about 70 million US residents who used Facebook between Jan. 30, 2015, and April 18, 2018, and who turned off the location services setting for the Facebook application on their iOS or Android devices. Class members who submit claims through an online system will receive payments electronically or by check, according to the filing.

The deal, which was submitted for the approval of Judge James Donato, resolves litigation accusing the tech giant of improperly collecting users’ IP addresses and using those addresses to infer their location in contravention of the company’s own policies. Plaintiffs say Facebook profited from this information by using it to target ads.

The company settled another lawsuit over its user tracking practices for $90 million in February.

The plaintiffs are represented by Tycko & Zavareei LLP, Franklin D. Azar & Associates PC, and Roche Freedman LLP. They’re authorized under the deal to seek up to 30% of the settlement fund as attorneys’ fees.

Facebook is represented by Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

The case is Lundy v. Meta Platforms, Inc., N.D. Cal., No. 3:18-cv-06793, motion for settlement approval 8/22/22.