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ILLINOIS – Instagram has agreed to pay $68.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accuses the company of violating privacy laws within Illinois.

The lawsuit alleges that the social media platform violated Illinois law, specifically the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act, by “collecting and storing biometric identifiers and/or biometric information… without complying with BIPA’s requirements.”

The settlement means that a share of $68.5 million will be available to certain Illinois residents. You can submit a claim requesting payment if you currently live or have lived in Illinois for any period of time since Aug. 10, 2015 and used the Instagram app.

The lawsuit contends that various Instagram features collect biometric data, ultimately violating state law. It adds, “Your legal rights are affected whether you act or don’t act.”

Before any payments, the court must ultimately decide whether the settlement is fair and whether to approve it. A final approval hearing is scheduled for Oct. 11, 2023.

Regardless, Illinois residents must submit an online claim here by Sept. 27 in order to possibly qualify for a payment. The settlement fund totals around $68.5 million. Once court fees, costs and expenses are taken out, it’s unclear how many people might be eligible or how much each eligible person might receive from the settlement.

The upcoming opportunity to cash in is similar to one made available to Illinoisans through Facebook and Snapchat class-action lawsuits over the past year.

If you are unsure if you qualify for a payment, you can email the settlement administrator at Info@InstagramBIPAsettlement.com or call 1-844-688-8804.

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