Google lawsuit settlement: Judge approves payout for Illinois residents

A judge has approved a $100 million Google privacy deal that clears the way for Illinois residents to receive a payment.

CHICAGO - A judge has approved a $100 million Google privacy deal that clears the way for Illinois residents to receive a payment.

Those who filed claims and were approved to receive a payment will receive a check of about $154.

The payout comes after Google settled a class-action lawsuit alleging its face grouping tool, which sorts faces on Google Photos by similarity, violated Illinois’ Biometric Privacy Law.

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State law requires companies to obtain affirmative consent from users before collecting and saving their biometric information.

The deadline to claim a cut of the settlement was Sept. 24.

Google settlement: $100 million for Illinois users

Illinois residents who appeared in a photograph on Google Photos within the last seven years may be eligible to receive a portion of a $100 million settlement.

Those who were eligible to receive payments included people who appeared in a photo on Google Photos between May 1, 2015, and April 25, 2022. You must have been an Illinois resident at the time.

ILLINOIS RESIDENTS CAN RECEIVE $100M SETTLEMENT MONEY FROM GOOGLE LAWSUIT

It is estimated that about 420,000 people have filed valid claims.

Pending any appeals, those who were approved for payments could begin receiving checks within 90 days.

How will I get paid?

When Illinois residents filed a claim, you were able to select the option of receiving your payment by check or electronically through Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, digital MasterCard or direct deposit.

More information on the settlement can be found HERE.