I Got a Check in the Mail From a Lawsuit I Was a Part of With Facebook

A check arrived in the mail for me a couple weeks ago which had me puzzled until I read the attached letter explaining it was a settlement in a lawsuit with Facebook.

When I opened it at first, I thought it was another of the half a dozen fake checks I get in my mail each week that look like real checks but are either coupons or promises of money if you buy or sign up for something. I'm not the only one who gets those am I?

The enclosed letter didn't even explain why I was getting the check...

The attached settlement benefit check represents your payment as a Class Member under the settlement in Fraley v. Facebook, Inc., Case No. CY 11-01726 RS....The Order Granting Motion for Final Approval of Settlement Agreement, and other Court Documents, are available by visiting FraleyFacebookSettlement.com

So I went to FraleyFacebookSettlement.com and then I remembered. Here's what it said about the lawsuit.

Fraley, et al. v. Facebook, Inc., et al., Case No. CV-11-01726 RS
If you or your child have or have had a Facebook account and a Facebook Sponsored Story featured your or your child’s name or profile picture, you or your child may be a “Class Member” in a class action lawsuit (the "Action").
Sponsored Stories are a form of advertising that typically contain posts which appear on facebook.com about or from a Facebook user or entity that a business, organization, or individual has paid to promote so there is a better chance that the posts will be seen by the user or entity’s chosen audience. For more information about Sponsored Stories, please review the Notice.
A class action lawsuit against Facebook, Inc. ("Facebook") claimed that Facebook unlawfully used Class Members’ names, profile pictures, photographs, likenesses, and identities to advertise or sell products and services through Sponsored Stories, without obtaining Class Members’ consent. Facebook denies any wrongdoing and any liability whatsoever. No court or other entity has made any judgment or other determination of any liability.

I remember several years ago one of my Facebook friends sending me a screenshot of something in their feed saying I liked something. I don't remember what it was. Along with telling them that I liked this thing, they were shown and ad about it. That's pretty much using me as an endorser to sell a product without my permission. Later I learned about the class action lawsuit filed against Facebook for using people's identities in these sponsored stories. The lawsuit was filed in 2011 and I hopped on board.

Five years later I got a check. How much did I get in the settlement?

Woo hoo! Facebook just bought me lunch.