Twitter, Yelp, Instagram, Foursquare and a few other apps are agreeing to a $5.3 million settlement to an invasion-of-privacy class action in which the companies' apps were accused of accessing the address books of iOS users without their knowledge or consent. About 30 percent of the deal likely will go to the lawyers who sued—about $1.59 million. The remainder is earmarked for the estimated 7 million members of the class. If distributed evenly, that's about 53 cents for each class member—and within the ballpark of distribution ratios of other Silicon Valley privacy class-action settlements.

The lawsuit (PDF) was filed in 2012 and alleged that the apps engaged in "unconscionable, illegal practices" because iOS users' contacts "have now been accessed and stolen." The suit originally claimed that "each" class member was entitled to hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in damages. The suit was filed after The New York Times and others reported of the privacy breaches, which even attracted the attention of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission.

If the deal (PDF) is approved by a San Francisco federal judge, payments will be sent to the Amazon accounts of class members. Checks will be sent to those who insist upon that method of payment. Unclaimed funds will go to the civil rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

In urging US District Judge Jon Tigar to approve the deal, one of the leading attorneys on the case defended the arrangement and said it "compares favorably on a per head basis" with other Silicon Valley privacy settlements.

Attorney David Given noted the recent $20 million settlement over the unauthorized use of 124 million Facebook users' likenesses in "sponsored stories" advertisements. He also pointed out a $9 million deal, affecting 62 million class members, concerning Google divulging users' search terms. And finally, there was an $8.5 million settlement, (PDF) affecting 37 million class members, concerning Google Buzz allegedly violating Gmail users' privacy. What Given did not note, however, was that the lawyers in those cases were awarded millions in fees and expenses.

In arguing for judicial approval, Given said the lawyers put in a lot of time and energy in the case. Plus, he said, a trial could delay payments to class members. The settlement agreement, Given wrote, "is the product of protracted and adversarial litigation, spanning five years" (PDF). He said "continuation of this litigation would be risky, expensive, and create substantial delay in recovery to class members."

He told the judge that some class members may be entitled to more than others. "The settlement allocates payment based on the number of people who submit claims and the number of Apps each claimed," he wrote.

The apps divvying up the $5.3 million are: Foodspotting, Foursquare, Gowalla, Instagram, Kik, Path, Twitter, and Yelp. When iOS address books were accessed without permission varies by app. But the date range is generally between 2010 to February 2012. The "Find Friends" feature had to have been activated.

A settlement hearing is set for 2pm PDT on May 25 in Tigar's courtroom. A lawsuit related to Apple's alleged involvement is pending.