AARP has agreed to pay $12.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing the powerful seniors group of illegally sharing members’ video-viewing data with Facebook — potentially putting cash in the pockets of tens of thousands of older Americans.
The settlement resolves claims that AARP violated the federal Video Privacy Protection Act by allowing Meta Platforms’ tracking technology to siphon off identifying information tied to videos watched on AARP.org, according to court filings.
AARP denied any wrongdoing but agreed to the payout to end the litigation, which has been pending in federal court in California since 2022.
Under the deal, eligible claimants who filed by the Dec. 31, 2025 deadline could receive payouts estimated to range from $47 to $237, depending on how many valid claims are approved.
The case centers on allegations that AARP embedded the Meta Pixel — a piece of tracking code — on pages of its website containing video content.
Plaintiffs alleged that when users with Facebook accounts watched videos on AARP.org, the pixel transmitted data to Meta that linked their Facebook identities with the specific videos they viewed.
That pairing of identity and viewing history, the lawsuit claims, constitutes personally identifiable information protected under federal law.
To qualify for compensation, claimants have to meet four conditions.
They must have watched video content on AARP.org between Sept. 27, 2020, and Sept. 12, 2025, while physically located in the United States.
They also must have had an active Facebook account at the time and been either an AARP member or a registered user of AARP.org.
All four criteria had to be satisfied during the same time period to be eligible.
Claims can be submitted online or by mail and require users to provide their Facebook profile link and swear under oath that they met the eligibility requirements.
In some cases, claimants might be asked to submit additional documentation, such as browsing history, to verify that they accessed video content on AARP.org during the class period.
The Video Privacy Protection Act, passed in 1988 after a newspaper published Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork’s video rental history, prohibits video service providers from knowingly disclosing consumers’ video viewing habits without consent.
Courts have increasingly applied the statute to websites that host video content, not just video rental stores.
The plaintiffs argued that AARP qualified as a “video tape service provider” under the law and that its use of the Meta Pixel resulted in unlawful disclosures to Meta, Facebook’s parent company.
AARP disputed the claims against it but agreed to the settlement while maintaining it did not admit liability.
As part of the agreement, the interest group committed to limiting or ceasing the operation of Meta’s tracking tools on certain video pages to reduce the risk of similar disclosures in the future.
The $12.5 million settlement fund will not be distributed in its entirety to class members.
Before payments go out, money will be deducted for settlement administration costs, litigation expenses, service awards for class representatives and attorneys’ fees that could total as much as 30% of the fund.
What remains will be divided evenly among approved claimants on a pro rata basis. Estimated individual payments to those eligible would likely fall between $47 and $237, based on participation rates seen in similar privacy settlements.
The official settlement website states that checks or electronic payments will not be issued until the court approves the settlement and all appeals are resolved — meaning claimants should not expect money before February 2026 at the earliest, and potentially months later if appeals are filed.
Members can also contact the Claims Administrator at [email protected] or call (833) 417-4887.
The Post has sought comment from AARP and Meta.
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