The search engine is paying $23 million in response to a lawsuit.
If you clicked on a Google search result link between October 2006 and September 2013 (and let’s face it: If you had a computer during this time period, then you probably did) we have some good news for you. Google is going to give you money for that.
Why?
Because the search engine recently settled a major class-action lawsuit filed in 2013, which alleged that the company stored and shared users’ search queries and histories with third-party websites and companies. This was a major privacy-law violation, the lawsuit claimed, and also violated Google’s own terms of service.
Last summer, Google agreed to a $23 million settlement in response to the lawsuit. And now, anyone who was subjected to Google’s alleged privacy violations gets to carve out a piece of the pie.
Here’s how to make your claim — and no, you don’t need to provide receipts proving you searched “funny cat videos” on Google in 2009. The process is much easier than that.
How to claim your money from the Google class action lawsuit settlement
To see if you’re eligible to receive money from the Google settlement, all you have to do is go to their claims site and fill out a registration form. The form requires some basic information, like your name, address, and phone number, but nothing too invasive like a social security number.
The only way to be eligible for a payment is to fill out that form, and to do it before July 31. If you miss that deadline, then even if you were previously eligible for getting some money, you no longer will be.
Once you register, you should expect to receive an email with your class member ID. Once you have that ID number, you have to fill out one more registration form, and you should be good to go.
How much money can you get from the Google settlement?
If you successfully submit your claim as a Google user who was impacted, then you expect to receive the whopping grand prize of… about seven dollars.
$7.70, to be specific, though the settlement website has clarified that a final amount will depend on exactly how many people submit a claim.
As for when you can expect that life-changing number to hit your checking account, the final approval hearing for this payment is set to take place on October 12, so it’s likely to be dispersed at some point after that final date.
