The Supreme Court of British Columbia approved a $51 million settlement reached in a class action lawsuit between Facebook and nearly 4.3 million users in British Columbia and three other provinces whose images were used without permission in promotional story ads "for the web giant.

The settlement affects anyone in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, or Newfoundland and Labrador who registered on Facebook or had a profile picture posted between January 1, 2011, and May 30, 2014, according to the settlement.

The lawsuit alleged that Facebook violated the privacy laws of the four provinces and was liable to users for damages for this violation.

The $51 million amount is also offered in exchange for the dismissal of all claims filed against Meta in the class action lawsuit."

Judge Netia Aire formally approved the lawsuit in Vancouver this month after Meta and the lawyers representing the representative plaintiff Deborah Duys announced a settlement in
November.

Eligible users are entitled to up to $200 each, according to one of the lawyers, but most will receive much less.

Christopher Ron, a lawyer at Branch McMaster, said after court approval: It depends on the number of people who "register" to receive the amount.

Ron also said that eligible users can expect a payment ranging between $20 and $55, or an average of $35.

He added that the online registration forms, which were approved by the court, will be available in about two to three months.