TikTok might owe you some cash for its $92 million lawsuit over data collection

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Popular video-sharing app TikTok has settled a massive $92 million dollar class-action lawsuit over its data collection practices. The company reached the settlement months ago, but TikTok users in the United States should start seeing a banner in-app notifying you of a potential payout.

We initially learned of this lawsuit back in June, when it became clear that the company had been collecting biometric data, such as faceprints and voiceprints, from its users.

READ MORE: Seattle schools sue TikTok, Meta over mental health concerns

Before the company changed its privacy policies to show that it was doing this, a combination of 21 different lawsuits was filed causing TikTok of breaking the law.

https://twitter.com/dreamerdecay/status/1460323132577746946

The law, in this situation, has to do with whether or not the company is transparent about its data collection.

In Illinois, where the lawsuits were filed, people can sue a company for using their biometric data without consent. Court documents say that TikTok was doing just that.

“By utilizing this private and biometric information…TikTok maintains a competitive advantage over other social media apps and profits…while failing to comply with the minimum requirements for handling users’ biometric data,” says the document.

TikTok says that it didn’t do anything against the law but still decided to settle out of court for some reason.

“While we disagree with the assertions, rather than go through lengthy litigation, we’d like to focus our efforts on building a safe and joyful experience for the TikTok community,” reads a company statement after settling back in February. Sure, TikTok. Whatever you say.

READ MORE: TikTok shares a ridiculous amount of user data before you even sign in

Regardless, a settlement has been reached and TikTok users in the United States may be eligible for a piece of the pie. If you used the app before September 30 of this year, you may be entitled to a share. Check out this link for instructions on how you can get your settlement.

Just maybe don’t expect a huge chunk of change. There are more than 100 million TikTok users in the United States and only $92 million is up for grabs here. That’s less than a dollar per person if all of those users file a successful claim and people in Illinois are eligible for larger settlements.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Instagram is offering creators up to $35K to post on its TikTok clone
• Netflix is hopping on the TikTok bandwagon with a new Kids Clips feature
• Surprise! Three out of four adults think Facebook is bad for society
• Twitter just fixed its most annoying issue on web – disappearing tweets