How Many Billions Would It Take to Hold Meta Accountable?

A New Mexico jury found Meta violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act by misleading users about how it handled their data, prompting a multibillion-dollar penalty. The case adds to a series of legal losses and settlements, but the article argues that fines so far are too small to force meaningful change at a company valued at about $1.7 trillion.

The judge reduced the latest New Mexico penalty from a potential $219 billion to $25 billion, after prosecutors had sought $35 billion to $45 billion. Meta also faces a $375 million child-safety ruling and a further $567 million penalty in New Mexico, a $6 million award in a case with YouTube over app design, and a reported $17 billion to $18 billion settlement with US states over alleged harms to children. The article says trials can still expose internal records to public scrutiny, while insurance companies may gain influence over technology firms’ practices.