Facebook might owe you a couple hundred bucks

Facebook has agreed to pay $550 million in a class action settlement for Illinois users - a deal that could net some users $200.

A series of lawsuits, including one first filed by Chicago-based Edelson PC, contended that Facebook violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act by collecting face prints for its "tagging" feature.

TechCrunch reported Thursday the class includes people who lived in Illinois and used Facebook from mid-2011 to mid-2015, and that claimants could receive as much as $200.

The $550 million fund represents the largest cash settlement for a privacy-related lawsuit, according to a Wednesday news release from Edelson PC. The settlement still awaits approval from a District Court.

Once approval happens, class members should receive notification, TechCrunch reported.

"This is a tremendous victory for the class," said Michael Canty, head of the consumer cybersecurity group at Labaton Sucharow. "Here, Illinois enacted a statute not to thwart innovation, but to protect individuals' privacy. As technology advances, corporations must be mindful of the privacy of their customers and more importantly, comply with the law."

For more information, go to edelson.com/facebook-settlement.