WASHINGTON — If you or your child were using TikTok or Musical.ly anytime until Sept. 30, 2021, you can now file a claim to possibly receive part of a proposed $92 million class action settlement.
A federal class action lawsuit alleged the company illegally kept and used personal data from users. TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance deny the allegations, according to court documents, but agreed to a settlement back in February.
On Monday, TikTok notified current app users about the proposed class action settlement.
How to file a TikTok settlement claim
To file a claim, go to TikTokdataprivacysettlement.com. There you can fill out the forms to file a claim online, or print them out and mail it in. You'll be asked for a payout method, such as Venmo, Paypal or you can be sent a virtual prepaid card among other payment methods offered. Parents can submit claims for their minor children.
While the proposed settlement is for $92 million, those who file a claim likely won't get a lot of money, based on the sheer number of people in the U.S. who use TikTok and are therefore eligible.
Jan. 31, 2022 is the last day for people to choose if they would like to be excluded from the settlement or to object regarding the settlement details. March 1, 2022 is the last day people can submit a claim to possibly receive a payment.
Who is eligible to file a claim?
Any users who were using TikTok or Musical.ly anytime until Sept. 30, 2021.
The federal lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. According to USA TODAY, it focused on the Illinois biometric privacy law, which lets people sue companies that take their data without consent.
As a result, Illinois residents who are eligible for the settlement could be entitled to six times the payout that other United States residents will receive, according to court documents.
Attorneys and administrators involved in the suit ask those filing for a claim to "please be patient" as payouts could take a while because payments will only go out after any appeals are resolved and the court gives final approval. This process can sometimes take years. For example, a highly publicized 2017 class action settlement involving milk prices is only now just starting to send out payments.
A webpage dedicated to answering questions that are frequently asked can be found at the TikTok data privacy settlement website.