Google+ settlement explained, and how to file a claim

It only took nine years, but Google+ may finally be worth something to users. Specifically, up to $12.

Past users of the now-defunct social media platform were hipped to a potential windfall Tuesday morning by an ominous looking email that helpfully assured wary recipients: "You are not being sued." At issue is at least one "bug" which revealed non-public user data to third-party developers, and a resulting class-action lawsuit.

According to the litigation website, you may qualify for a piece of the $7.5 million settlement if you are in the U.S., had a consumer Google+ account between January 1, 2015 and April 2, 2019, and had your "non-public Profile Information exposed as a result of the software bugs Google announced on October 8, 2018 and December 10, 2018."

You have until Oct. 8, 2020, to file, and can do so here.

Now, as is often the case with these things (remember Equifax?), there are a few important caveats. For starters, whether or not you get 12 whole dollars depends on how many people file a claim. As the the settlement info page explains, $12 is the maximum amount you may receive. You might just get pennies.

SEE ALSO: Google to kill Google+ early after exposing personal data of more than 50 million

Also, the settlement needs to get final approval by the courts. That decision will be made on Nov. 19, but as it has already been granted preliminary approval, it should (theoretically) be approved with little fuss.

So fill out your claim, maybe get your $12, and then happily forget you ever willingly handed over your personal data to Google+ in the first place.