# Meta ordered to cough up $25 billion in New Mexico privacy case

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/meta-ordered-to-cough-up-25-billion-in-new-mexico-privacy-case/
- Published: 2026-10-21T20:43:17+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-21T21:56:37+00:00
- Original publisher: Engadget
- Original article: https://www.engadget.com/2293597/new-mexico-court-order-meta-pay-25-billion-privacy-case/
- Topics: Americas, World

## Key points

- Meta was ordered to pay New Mexico $25 billion.
- A jury counted 43 million consumer protection violations.
- Meta plans to appeal the ruling.

## Summary

A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found that Facebook misled state residents about privacy, user data and content moderation. The ruling is a major penalty in a case linked to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, though the lawsuit focused on Meta’s statements and practices rather than directly on data harvested by the firm.

A Santa Fe jury counted 43 million violations of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act, with a maximum possible penalty of about $219 billion. The state sought $35 billion to $40 billion, while Meta argued for no more than $3.45 billion; the judge set the penalty at $25 billion. The money is due to support New Mexico’s schools, with interest accruing at 15 per cent a year, and Meta says it will appeal.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.