Meta Ordered to Pay $25 Billion Fine in New Mexico Data Privacy Lawsuit

A judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta Platforms to pay a $25 billion civil penalty following a jury's verdict that the company misled consumers regarding data privacy and user information.

The lawsuit, filed in 2021 by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, stems from allegations that millions of Facebook users' data was collected without authorization following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The state accused Meta of lying about who could access user data and how the company combated hate speech and disinformation. On September 25, a jury found that 26 of the 29 statements made by the company were misleading, resulting in more than 43 million violations of New Mexico consumer protection laws. Although Meta requested that the penalties be capped at $3.45 billion, the judge ruled that the $25 billion be transferred to the state school system. This ruling marks Meta's second major legal defeat in New Mexico in the past six months following a separate lawsuit regarding child safety.