If you used Google between the late 2000s and early 2010s, you may be eligible for compensation. This might sound like clickbait news, but it’s the truth. The search engine and tech giant is paying a total of $23 million in compensation to everyone who used its search engine between October 2006 and September 2013.

Basically, anyone who has used the Internet during those seven years could get some money from Google. However, this also means that the ad personam compensation will not be that high. According to Futurism, the estimated payout will be around $7.70, or €7.05. It’s just enough to buy a month of entry-level Netflix with ads, but it’s better than nothing.

A 10-year lawsuit

If you used Google between 2006 and 2013, and you probably did, you can submit your claim by July 31st, it remains to be seen whether the search for compensation will apply only to US residents in those years. It’s also unknown when the money will be obtained, as the tech giant claims it did nothing wrong and the appeals process could easily slow down payments. This lawsuit has already been incredibly long, having been filed against Google more than a decade ago . The lawsuit accuses the tech company of violating privacy laws by intentionally storing and disclosing search history information to third parties.

The lawsuit also alleges that some of these searches could include sensitive personal information, increasing the risk of identity theft. Now the compliance rules are much stricter than they were then. However, it seems obvious that people’s search history shouldn’t be disclosed without permission, and it shouldn’t need a law to say so.

Same thing goes for Meta

Google isn’t the only tech giant that has come under additional scrutiny regarding user privacy and data sharing in recent months. Meta, the parent company of Facebook , was also ordered to compensate users after a class action settlement was approved in March. The compensation will be 725 million dollars (about 664 million euros) and anyone (among US residents) who used Facebook between May 2007 and December 2022 can file a compensation claimand get a piece of the pie. As with the Google lawsuit, it is likely that many will file claims; therefore, the individual outlay is not likely to be significant.

However, these lawsuits tend to act more as a deterrent against the sale of user data by these giant tech companies than as a big reward for consumers. If you want to participate in Facebook’s cause, you can apply by August 25th and don’t forget to do it by July 31st if you want a chance to get a part of Google’s money.